


Star Trek Hunter - Year 2: The Destroyer of Worlds

by RobertBruceScott



Series: Star Trek Hunter [3]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek - Various Authors, Star Trek RPF, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Courtroom Drama, F/F, F/M, Horror, M/M, Multi, Mystery, Politics, Science Fiction, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2020-11-22 05:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 141
Words: 138,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20868920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobertBruceScott/pseuds/RobertBruceScott
Summary: .Star Trek Hunter enters Year 2..Three new scenes have been added:Episode 11.14: Intersections and Reunions - The C.D.S. Milithra (chapter 17)Episode 16.4: Slavers - The Needs of the Many (chapter 82)Episode 19.5: The Ivonovic Commission - Stroke of Luck (chapter 128)Additionally, the entire story has been re-edited with some significant changes..





	1. Clip Show - Previously on Star Trek Hunter

Disclaimers and series information can be found at the following link: [Star Trek Hunter - Series Background Information](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19427671/chapters/46236358)

**Previously on Star Trek Hunter:**

Here is the link to Star Trek Hunter - Series 1 on An Archive of Our Own:  
  
[Star Trek Hunter - Year 1: The Man Who Broke the Federation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19333762)

Highlights from Year 1:

**Episode 1: Flash Forward**  
  
Episode 1 is a single scene taken from Year 3 of Star Trek Hunter. It is identical to Episode 20, Scene 7 (Survival: The Ghost) but told from Justice Irons’ point of view instead of Commander Kenneth Dolphin’s point of view.

..........................................................

**Episode 2: The Colony of New Hope**

“…Lieutenant Allen Mitchell, Director of New Hope Colony Planetary Operations,” the irritated officer replied. “I have fire fights in my streets and your flotilla in my sky. I’m going to have to ask you to turn those boats around.”  
“This is a law enforcement operation, Lieutenant.” Dolphin responded amiably, “Keep your birds on the deck and your satellites dark. I will let you know if we need your support.”  
“You don’t outrank me, Lieutenant Dolphin, you have no authority to issue those orders,” Mitchell snapped, jabbing a finger at the two solid pips on his own collar.  
“Star Fleet Charter, Mr. Mitchell,” Dolphin replied, his demeanor swiftly changing from collegial to coldly matter-of-fact. “All law enforcement and planetary security operations within Federation boundaries shall be conducted by and coordinated through the Office of the Judge Advocate General. I’m wearing the black uniform. Stand down, Lieutenant. That is an order. Hunter out.” Dolphin made a cutting gesture and Tauk cut the circuit - the image of the irritated director of New Hope Colony planetary operations was replaced with a view of the planet… 

…………………………….

…Irons was steely in her response. “Governor Ivonovic, I am holding you over for trial at the Federation Tribunal. Once you are in custody, you may contact your special counsel at any time to assist with your defense. You are also entitled to legal representation before the Tribunal by lawyers of your own choosing, if you can afford them.”  
“If I can afford…” the governor’s voice trailed off as the more important part of that sentence got through to him… “Federation Tribunal??”

……………………………….

**Episode 3:Breakfast Serial**

…John Thune stepped up behind his wife, wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. Then, as she relaxed back into him, he plunged a knife deep into her neck, severing her spine with sudden strength. He had no idea where the knife came from - he stared at it in deep confusion as his wife’s lifeless body slumped to the floor - then just as suddenly he plunged the knife again and again into his own heart - a look of blank horror on his face as he collapsed to the floor, still stabbing himself… 

……………………………….

…Dewayne Guth was frozen where he stood - not with fear. He was a pilot and was trained to evade phaser fire. Something kept him rooted, screaming silently with terror, unable to move or to make a sound. Lt. T’Lok Smith tackled him at tremendous speed, slamming the pilot to the ground and landing on top of him.  
As soon as Guth was no longer available as a target, Dolphin, assisted by T’Lon, finally managed to drop the phaser. He was finally able to scream - he fell to his knees, letting out a short, ragged howl of anguish. Behind him, T’Lon, her fingers still on his temples, had also fallen to her knees, gasping with effort…

……………………………….

**Episode 4: Run To Earth**

…Part of the bulkhead on the port side of the Hunter exploded outward, exposing the track to space. The ring decompressed as the atmosphere was blown out through the hull, carrying first T’Lok, then Jarrong and Belo Rys out into the vacuum of space.  
Belo Garr - who was still on the starboard side with his other half-sister - flattened himself against an interior wall - his fingers searching for any purchase. He reached out and grabbed Cantys’s arm. These two youngest squad members slid inexorably toward the hull breach, but dropped to the floor as an emergency protocol erected a forcefield over the breach…

……………………………

…Investigator Lynhart Shran continued the analysis in his gravelly voice: “Back on New Hope Colony there was cardassian junk all over the place. Cardassian disruptors, cardassian band rifles, T’Lon’s team was sheltering under cardassian armored ground vehicles. Cardassians wear skintight gloves to protect themselves against the radioactive backwash of their disruptor rifles. You can’t see these gloves on cardassians, but they’re evident when humans wear them.”  
“Even the dampening generator,” Buttans Ngumbo added, “I was only able to shut it down because I could read cardassian script.”  
“By itself, all that didn’t mean much,” Shran continued. “Cardassian military surplus is all over the place. It’s cheap, not as powerful as klingon weapons nor as clean and versatile as federation equipment. But it’s simple, rugged, easy to repair. You could drag a cardassian band rifle through the mud and then fire it underwater. I wouldn’t try that with my revolver.”  
Lt. Tauk picked up the thread, “But with a Keldon class battlecruiser firing on us, not to destroy but to disable us…”  
“They were trying to rescue Governor Ivonovic,” Justice Irons concluded. “Hunter!”

……………………………….

**Episode 5: The Fires of Pon Farr**

“…You have no idea what’s headed your way” Mallory continued. “That poor girl is having an unusually fiery Pon Farr. Combine that with what a powerful telepath she is - her brain is foaming out lust like a hot Champaign bottle. In about nine months Rhode Island is going to have a baby boom like nothing they have seen in centuries. I’ll do what I can to counter the effect when they get here, but you need to get ready for a deluge of, what do you call them? Dissertations? Declarations? Disclosures… You need to get ready for a deluge of disclosures because your crew are going to be screwing like squirrels…” 

…………………………………

…Commander Lashonda Williams’ left hand was raised, fingers splayed to ward off some attack - a look of terror frozen on her features. Her mouth was open in a silent scream - a bubble of mucous frozen around her lips. Stars reflected in her wide open eyes. Her right hand and everything below her waist were missing - some entrails trailed out below where her body was largely cauterized by the disruptor beam that had removed her lower half - a splash of blood had gushed out only to be flash frozen in the near absolute zero of space.   
Below what was left of her body was a debris field. There were a few other partial bodies and very few large pieces of debris. One of the largest was just under her, a piece of a hull - a partial serial number on the outside - 014 - and just below that, a partial name - LENGER…

……………………………….

**Episode 6: Breakfast Killer #2 (BK2)**

…Softly, as though she were musing to herself, Downa said, “The humans have a terrible word for children born of extra-marital affairs. Illegitimate. What a terrible thing to call a child. Bajorans have an even more terrible name for bajoran-hybrid children, born out of the Cardassian Occupation - slave-baby. Think about growing up with everyone calling you a slave-baby.”  
All three adults were now looking intently at the denobulan woman. She looked into the eyes of each in turn as she continued, “But the humans used to have a beautiful name for such children: Love-child. Can you say, ‘this is my husband’s love-child?’”

………………………………….

…Garrick reacted in horror as a bullet appeared out of nowhere and slammed into Healer Downa’s forehead, killing her instantly. In the next second, a dart appeared out of nowhere and embedded itself in her belly. In the next instant a transporter beam whisked her newly dead remains away. The cardassian ex-spy had seen many terrible things in his day - he was surprised to find himself shivering in shock. He suddenly remembered that he was naked…

……………………………….

**Episode 7: The Great Mushroom**

“What do you suspect?” Buttans asked.  
Carrera pointed at Dolphin’s head. “I think he’s got a vulcan in there with him. If I’m right, they’re going to need to go to Mount Seleya on Vulcan. And soon…”

…………………………………

  
“The particulate matter appears to be connected to the flora canopy on the planet below,” Hunter said.  
“Please display on the view screen - show me a high magnification, high resolution view.”  
The viewscreen changed to show what appeared to be a living plant cell.  
“Hunter, what am I looking at?” Gamor asked.  
“A cell in a streamer that is attached to the canopy on Pillo,” Hunter replied.  
“Mushroom? We’re flying through mushroom?”

……………………………….

**Episode 8: The Bolian Web**

…Everyone on the bridge was focused on the justice. She spared a moment to look around the bridge. Her crew were stunned, but had clearly digested and accepted her ruling. She turned to her first officer. “David, stop that ship before they commit another genocide. I will be in ground operations, then medical.” Irons turned and exited the bridge, followed by Dr. Carrera…

……………………………………

“At first we thought we were dealing with two viruses,” Tali Shae continued. “A computer virus that hijacks the nearest transporter, replicator - and a long list of similar tools to build the biological virus, which in turn kills bolians, makes andorians extremely ill and has as yet unknown effects on other species.”  
Justice Minerva Irons was getting used to things going from bad to worse at this point. “So what are we actually dealing with, Tali? Multiple viruses?”  
“One. One biological virus that contains the computer virus, which contains instructions for building the biological virus. Scan a victim with any medical scanner and the scanner is infected…”

……………………………….

**Episode 9:The Library**  
  
…Napoleon Boles reached back with his left hand and massaged his own neck, grimaced. “Put yourself in my position, Lieutenant Commander,” he said. “These people are staring down a virus that could exterminate their species. If their research tells them that removing my liver and using it as a machine to generate antibodies is the last, best hope for their civilization, don’t you think they might seriously consider it? They’re going to be taking pieces of every one of my organs. I won’t be conscious for all of those procedures. I need someone who knows when to tell them to stop and has the authority and the grit to make them stop…”

………………………………………

…The bird named Destim Ski followed him, then stepped carefully out of the way as the aft portal opened, revealing the interior of the craft. Guth stepped on board. Destim was able to squeeze into the rear staging area of the craft, then craned his neck into the space between the brig units so that he could look into the flight operation booth.  
Maa managed to crowd into the back of the shuttle and crawl under Destim Ski’s wing. As the bird spoke fluently, she translated. “I cannot imagine flying in a machine - not feeling the wind under my wings.”  
“Oh, I can definitely feel the wind - at least when I reduce the inertial dampeners. We really felt it on the way down.”  
Destim Ski made an odd clucking sound, then slowly and carefully backed out of the wagon. It took a several minutes for the giant waterbird to free himself from the shuttle. Maa simply laid on the floor of the shuttle where she was until the giant bird had shrugged its body free of the wagon. Guth looked at her quizzically.  
“He was laughing, Mr. Guth,” she said…

……………………………….

**Episode 10: Interview With An Ethicist**

…Dolphin started ticking points off on his fingers: “Eighteen dead men in the most important courtroom on the Colony of New Hope. And Irons just warps away like it’s nothing. No investigation. Not a peep out of Star Fleet or the Tribunal. Your Vice Governor and all the other politicians on New Hope who should have made hay out of all those bodies to further their own agendas - silent. It’s like those men were never even there…”  
Dolphin ticked a second finger, “Second, after your cronies failed to break you out of the brig at Star Base 11, a mysterious top of the line cardassian battle cruiser, complete with a romulan cloaking device, nearly blows me out of the stars in an attempt to rescue you – and they eventually succeed, destroying the U.S.S. Challenger with all hands in the process…”  
“Third – I’m not giving you details – but clearly someone has penetrated the highest levels of Star Fleet Command and compromised some of our top officers… But the biggest clue is – you.” Dolphin pointed a finger at the governor…

……………………………………….

Tali Shae was mildly annoyed. “Okay Napoleon, enough with the dramatic build up. What are you talking about?”  
Boles smiled grimly. “The progenitors genetically altered their own people to transform them into the race that constructed and maintained the Hulk. That ring structure was the cradle of that race. And I am fairly certain we will need their descendants to come back to the Hulk to repair it. They are probably the Alpha Quadrant’s only hope. The only people who can repair the Hulk.”

Tali Shae banged the conference table with her fist, making her cup jump. Her antennae jumped with it… “Who???”

……………………………….

**Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter:** (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)  
  
At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady

Medical Director - Lt. Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles   
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim  
  
Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Joey Chin  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar  
  
Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Lynhart Shran  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys  
Tactical Specialist Belo Garr  
Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys  
  
Director of Engineering - Lt. Sarekson Carrera  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	2. Year 2 - The Destroyer of Worlds




	3. Episode 11.1 - Intersections and Reunions: United Federation of Planets Council Building, Nairobi, Kenya (Part 1 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Federation Council Leaders Ushi Irons and Chelna Yaalleiyesi meet with Star Fleet Commandant Barret th'Zoarhi to determine the size and composition of the new fleet, and welcome newly appointed Councilmember Emory Ivonovic to the Federation Council..
> 
> _Ushi continued, resolve clear in his voice. “Shelve the designs for the Explorer. Go ahead with the 32 new Escort class ships and the 16 Intrepid class. Scale back the initial run of the Prowler class to 44. We do not yet know enough about the performance of this class for such an unprecedented build request – cutting the order to 44 will de-obligate an enormous amount of resources. And you are going to need those resources..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Ushi Irons is a strange and unique character and this is one of his few scenes, so I wanted to give you a good look at this strange, but politically potent son of Justice Minerva Irons.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 1: United Federation of Planets Council Building, Nairobi, Kenya (Part 1 of 2)

11.1  
United Federation of Planets Council Building, Nairobi, Kenya (Part 1 of 2)

In a small conference room on the top floor of the United Federation of Planets Council Building in Nairobi, Kenya, five uniquely powerful, influential and notorious individuals were gathered. Followers of UFP politics would immediately recognize Ushi Irons, one of 60 Earth representatives to the Federation Council and easily the most powerful as one of the longest serving and the leader of the ruling Moderate coalition.  
Chelna Yaalleiysei was the leader of both the Rigellian Naturalborn coalition on her homeworld and the Homeworld coalition – the second largest coalition within the Federation Council. Despite the fact they were bitter rivals and had arguments in council chamber that could peel paint off the walls, Ushi and Yaalleiysei had become friends over the negotiation table and both were expert at wrangling their coalitions into compromises that kept the Federation working surprisingly smoothly. Their joint histrionics in chamber were in part designed to signal their coalition members that their concerns had been heard and hard fought for, before being watered down or lost entirely in negotiation..  
Former Governor Emory Ivonovic had risen from relative obscurity to UFP-wide notoriety with his subversive subspace radio program. His final episode, a nearly four-hour long interview with Dr. Kenny Dolphin, had swiftly become the most re-watched broadcast in UFP history. Demand for downloads of Dolphin’s books, for a decade relegated away from the main data streaming lines, was swiftly swamping library services throughout the Federation.  
All of which left the one person in the room who was most accustomed to having her orders followed without question, Star Fleet Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi, in the most delicate position. She had come to Nairobi to obtain authorization for a long needed overhaul of Star Fleet’s deep space and interplanetary fleets, only to become embroiled in the politics she had so long and diligently tried to keep Star Fleet above. With Lt. Dolphin now re-emerged from obscurity and more notorious than ever, she could neither court-marshal him nor re-assign him without drawing enormous scrutiny – in fact whether she did anything – or nothing – her dealings with the infamous Dr. Dolphin were bound to draw attention. With an enormous effort at self-control, she kept her antennae from twitching – although an alert observer might notice a slight tic in her left antenna…

“So you’re not going to exact any concessions for seating our new councilmember from New Hope?” Chelna Yaalleiysei knew there would be a price to pay. She had known Ushi too long to believe for a moment that he would support adding the most notorious naturalborn activist to the Federation Council – and in that action putting him out of reach of the Federation Tribunal – without getting a lot in return.  
“Oh we both know that isn’t true,” Ushi responded, stroking his long, wispy white beard with his left hand. “I will do this favor for you, and you will do several favors for me.”  
“Why do you think that I will give you even the first thing in return for seating Mr. Ivonovic?” Yaalleiysei was a keen student of human nature. She had to be. The UFP was dominated by humans – the fecund beasts outnumbered all other Federation member species put together – even including the 21 billion bolians.  
But Ushi Irons was a unique study. Every flick of his absurdly long beard, the details of how he pinned up his masses of long, straight white hair – or wore it long and straight as it was today, every touch to his eyebrows carried meaning – meanings meant to be read by some and not others. Although he had been born and raised in Shanghai, Ushi had moved to Nairobi years ago and now represented the capital city and much of Western Africa on the Federation Council.  
  
One of Minerva Irons’ children by her second husband, Ushi appeared entirely human with no hint of his various non-human ancestries. At 80, he was far stronger, quicker and more nimble than most humans in their prime. No one had ever seen him fighting or training, but rumor held that he was a peerless master of some ancient form of martial arts. Tall, straight and impossibly thin, he certainly looked like someone who trained daily and ate only on the weekends.   
Ushi’s deliberate choice to pattern his appearance and behavior after an archetypical Chinese villain was lost on everyone except those smallfew who were familiar with Kung Fu movies produced in Hong Kong during the 20th Century. He looked as if he might have stepped directly out of one of those movies. But despite the obscurity of this cultural reference, his facade served his purposes quite well - at once hinting at a certain playfulness while burnishing the patina of inscrutability surrounding a famously secretive man. So it was odd for Yaalleiysei to sense vulnerability in him. It might be an act – he was easily that subtle. But Yaalleiysei’s instinct said otherwise.

“You’re hiding something,” she started. Of the three sentient species native to the Rigel star system, the chelna were by far the most populous. They had long taken to adding “Chelna” to their given names to distinguish themselves from the other two sentient species. Like the majority of the chelna, Yaalleiysei had dark yellow skin, gray hair and eyes, and fangs that were only slightly larger than human incisors. What at first appeared to be a rhomboid tattoo on her face changed shape. She saw that Ushi noticed this change and grimaced – he was every bit as good at reading her as she was at reading him.  
"I have no need to hide things from you, Yalleiysei. I just don’t bother to point everything out. For now, let’s focus on the business that brought the Commandant of Star Fleet all the way from San Francisco to Nairobi…”   
Ushi brushed his wispy, long white beard to the left and turned toward Barrett th’Zoarhi. “Commandant, I would love nothing more than to grant your request exactly as you intend to present it. Unfortunately, meddling in Star Fleet’s affairs is a requirement of my office. The Homeworld coalition,” Ushi gestured to the rigellian council leader… “Yalleiysei’s coalition, will want to limit manned deep space exploration vehicles in favor of a larger number of unmanned probes and interplanetary patrol craft. Oddly, so will the Federal coalition – but with a greater emphasis on patrol craft. A very few of my own Moderate coalition will dig in their heels at what they will see as an attempt to turn Star Fleet into a police force instead of the science organization it was founded to be. You are well aware of these political realities. So tell me, what is the blind spot that we are all missing?”

Star Fleet Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi didn’t miss a beat. “Speed,” she said. “We have been expecting the Klingon and Romulan empires would break the warp 10 barrier. Our mission is to get there not only first, but sustainably.”

Council Leader Chelna Yaalleiysei spoke up, “Sustainably… It appears you have anticipated my question, Commandant. Star Fleet keeps seeking authorization to build faster and faster ships. But you expect our homeworld fleets to maintain the warp 5 limit we have imposed to preserve our environments. Do you honestly expect me to take your request to break warp 10 and move at speeds a factor of 5 faster than what is allowable for our homeworld fleet to the billions of people I represent?”  
Commandant th’Zoarhi had far greater emotional control than normal for an andorian – or a human – and she managed to keep the momentary flash of anger from her face, but the tic in her left antenna became more pronounced. That tic did not go unnoticed by any of the other people in the room.

Council Leader Ushi Irons stroked his long, white beard with his right hand, which action had an oddly calming effect on everyone in the room. “I am certain that my colleague would qualify her remarks to include the understanding that Star Fleet serves all Federation homeworlds and we rely on Star Fleet to handle the most urgent issues… But you are holding back on us, Commandant. Could it be that you do not trust our newest councilmember?”  
The commandant’s antenna tic became even more pronounced. She was no fan of the Irons family – that entire family had far too much power and the leader of the majority coalition in the Federation Council actually had far more power than the Federation President – making this ridiculous, elderly, white-haired pink-skin easily the most powerful person in the Alpha Quadrant. He was playing her emotions like a musical instrument. She knew that he knew that she knew it and he was enjoying it far too much.  
“Not to worry, esteemed Commandant,” Ushi continued. “I have already given my word that Councilmember Emory Ivonovic will be seated. And he has already been aboard the first Star Fleet vessel to deliberately, controllably and sustainably break the warp 10 barrier. And while the councilmember was not aboard when this happened, our very famous friend, Lieutenant Kenneth Dolphin, was.”  
This time it was Council Leader Yaalleiysei’s turn to be outraged. The diamond-shaped coloration on her face split into three concentric diamonds and she had to exercise a tremendous amount of self-control – deliberately calming herself to get the telltale pigmentation to settle down and stop broadcasting her every emotion (which was, after all, its evolutionary purpose). She noticed a look of shock on Ivonovic’s face and was at least mollified that he too had not known until this moment that Star Fleet had officially cracked warp 10.

11.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Federation Council Leader Ushi Irons (Ushi)  
Human Ethnicity: Chinese  
Additional Species: Vulcan, Betazoid, Trill  
Hometown/Homeworld: Nairobi, Kenya, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.1  
Age when introduced: 80  
Role: Leader of the Moderate Coalition
> 
> Character: Federation Council Leader Chelna Yaalleiysei  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Rigellian Chelna  
Hometown/Homeworld: Grello, Rigel IV  
Introduced: Episode 11.1  
Age when introduced: 55  
Role: Leader of the Homeworld Coalition
> 
> Character: Star Fleet Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi (Barrett)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Raitan, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 11.1  
Age when introduced: 52  
Role: Commandant, Star Fleet


	4. Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Introduction to Episode 11 by Ambassador Sarek  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
  


Episode 11 – Intersections and Reunions

_ “I think I was six and River was seven when our father became the most famous man in the Federation and all our friends and neighbors told us he was a monster. To this day I don’t know why River and I never changed our names. Our mother was much happier with her second husband and he was a good father to us. And Brooks is not a bad name. We could have been River Brooks and Starlight Brooks. But while he was a good man and a good parent, he was never really Dad. I also think, somehow, my sister and I both felt a need to redeem the Dolphin family name.   
_ _ When I discovered in my early twenties that my father actually was a good man and we heard our friends and neighbors finally beginning to understand what he had been trying to say all those years ago – finally understanding it myself – it was an almost unendurable relief.” _

_Starlight Dolphin: _ _Fish Out of Water – A Book about My Father__._

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady

Medical Director - Lt. Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim

Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Joey Chin  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar

Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Lynhart Shran  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys  
Tactical Specialist Belo Garr  
Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys

Director of Engineering - Lt. Sarekson Carrera  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	5. Episode 11.2: Intersections and Reunions - United Federation of Planets Council Building, Nairobi, Kenya (Part 2 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The discussion among the leaders of the Federation Council and Star Fleet Commandant Barrett th'Zoarhi continues. Commandant th'Zoarhi has a large request to authorize building a fleet of new star ships..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I recently decided to break this scene into two parts simply because of the length  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 2: United Federation of Planets Council Building, Nairobi, Kenya (Part 2 of 2)

11.2  
United Federation of Planets Council Building, Nairobi, Kenya (Part 2 of 2)

Federation Council Leader Ushi Irons was still relishing the discomfort he had distributed around the room. He leaned back in the plush executive chair, letting it turn toward the other two humans in the room. “Lieutenant Dolphin, as Director of Flight Operations for the U.S.S. Hunter, I understand it was one of your pilots who broke the warp 10 barrier and I understand you currently hold the speed record?”  
Had there been a black hole in this room – a micro-singularity - Kenny Dolphin would have considered it an appropriate hiding place and crawled into it. He had been trying hard to go unnoticed – without success. “One of my pilots, Flight Specialist Dih Terri, became the first pilot to dial in and bring a Federation starship to warp 11. During a rescue mission to 110 Piscium – the Federation colony on Pillo in orbit of Pi 110 – I briefly brought the U.S.S. Hunter’s tactical unit up to warp 14.387. As far as I know, that remains the controlled flight speed record for Star Fleet.”

The small conference room drifted through a moment of stunned silence. Even though Star Fleet Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi was aware of this information, hearing it said calmly and clearly by the man who had accomplished it was still a breathtaking experience. She looked at Dolphin with renewed appreciation.  
Because of his victory over three nausicaan heavy cruisers in less than three minutes in the Battle for Pillo, the Federation’s most infamous philosopher had quickly become Star Fleet’s most celebrated pilot and, if, as he claimed, he had managed to turn Ivonovic from a dangerous liability into a federation asset, Dolphin might also have just proved himself one of the UFP’s boldest and most innovative covert operatives.  
For all his ability, cunning and experience courting danger, the man looked entirely unassuming and more than a little nervous. Even Ushi Irons seemed a little taken aback – if clearly delighted – to hear this story from such an unlikely source.

Commandant th’Zoarhi took advantage of this moment to present her case. “The ship that accomplished these breakthroughs was built to become the model for a new class of interplanetary ships. The second ship of that line, the U.S.S. Prowler, is nearing completion and should be commissioned within the month. There are several design variations that will be propagated throughout the class, initially identified as a patrol class – the official designation will the ‘Prowler Class.’ We are proposing an initial build of 88 Prowler class starships, which, including the U.S.S. Hunter and the U.S.S. Prowler, will bring the total to 90.”

The silence following this statement was not quite so long, but every bit as stunned.

“That would be the largest first run of a starship class in the history of Star Fleet,” said Ushi.  
“Will all of these ships be capable of exceeding Warp 10?” asked Federation Council Leader Chelna Yaalleiysei.  
“Theoretically,” th’Zoarhi responded. “The U.S.S. Prowler should be capable of traveling very close to warp 10 in standard warp configuration. Given the size and especially the ship design and warp shell configuration, a Prowler class starship traveling near warp 10 in standard configuration should cause less disruption to local spacetime than older Star Fleet vessels traveling at warp 5. Or the majority of homeworld fleet vessels at warp 3.”  
“However, there is another potential built into this class,” the Commandant continued: “the potential to enter recursive warp mode, also known as ‘zip drive.’ It was this mode that allowed the U.S.S. Hunter to set the speed records. Due to the Hunter’s tests, we can now confirm that the zip drive not only does not damage spacetime, it actually repairs warpfield damage to destabilized areas. Theoretically, this could eventually re-open some trade routes closed because of such instabilities.”  
Emory Ivonovic spoke up for the first time. “I hear some prevarication in your words, Commandant… ‘Theoretically…should be capable… potential to enter recursive warp… eventually…’ I take it from your words that the Prowler class ships will not come zipping out of the shipyards ready to go into recursive warp?”  
Ushi was preening his thick, white eyebrows. It was a signal Yaalleiysei did not need to interpret. She made a mental note to counsel her new coalition member on when to speak and when not to.  
“The warp nacelle and engine design for the Prowler class will be identical to those currently used by the U.S.S. Hunter,” said Commandant th’Zoarhi. “But the information processing required to safely use the recursive warp potential has not yet been realized. Currently this is being done by an AI within the Hunter.”  
Council Leader Chelna Yaalleiysei was deeply shocked. “Commandant… Barrett… are you telling us the U.S.S. Hunter is an intelligent lifeform?”

“Yes.”

“That has been illegal for a decade. That ship is only two years out of space dock…” the rigellian council leader objected.  
“Dr. Sarekson Carrera initiated the processes to induce artificial intelligence in the Hunter’s computer core, the first part of the Hunter to be built, just over eleven years ago,” Barrett th’Zoarhi responded. “This was shortly before the ban on creating the potential for artificially intelligent sentient computer programs was instated, Council Leader. We allowed the project to go forward with the knowledge that recursive warp mode could only be safely sustained by a sentient artificial intelligence. Hunter helped design its own warp nacelles and its own hull configuration. We anticipate that Hunter will be able to isolate and mechanize the procedures he has developed so that the new ships will be able to safely use complex but non-sentient programs to sustain recursive warp mode.”  
Ivonovic spoke out of turn again, this time openly defiant of Ushi Irons’ clear, if unspoken authority in this room. “It sounds to me like you’re betting the whole dairy on one little old milk cow, Commandant…”  
“I agree with the bumpkin,” Ushi said, stroking his beard with his left hand. The old man almost winked at Kenny Dolphin as Ivonovic bridled a little at the slight. “Give us the remainder of your request, please, Commandant.”

“We are requesting an additional 16 Intrepid class starships, 32 new Escort class starships and we have two finalist proposals for a new class of long-range exploration ship. We propose building both prototypes and using that process, along with the results from fielding both vessels, to determine which should become the class ship for a new generation of manned deep space exploration vessels.”  
Chelna Yaalleiysei took a deep breath. “That is the largest build request in the history of Star Fleet.”  
Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi responded quickly. “The Federation has grown and the homeworlds are clamoring for additional security, which can best be served by a larger number of smaller ships. In numbers of ships, yes, it is the largest build request, but in terms of resources it is roughly equivalent to the first run of Galaxy class starships, during which time we were still continuing to build the old Reliant class ships for interplanetary use.”  
“What are the names of the proposed exploration ships?” Ushi asked.  
“The U.S.S. Explorer and the U.S.S. Milky Way,” th’Zoarhi responded.  
“Do either of them have dedicated interceptor bays that can accommodate the new, long-range interceptors?” Ushi Irons’ voice had a crisp sound.  
“The U.S.S. Milky Way is by far the larger of the two proposed prototypes. It has two dedicated interceptor bays in addition to the main shuttle bay. Using all three bays, the Milky Way can accommodate at total of nine next-generation interceptors in addition to two runabouts and four standard shuttlecraft.”

“Build the Milky Way,” said Ushi. There was no room for negotiation in his voice. “Yaalleiysei, this is the first installment for seating your miscreant. I need your unqualified support and unanimity from your coalition on this.”  
Yaalleiysei nodded her assent. She did not enjoy being dictated to, but she could also tell that in this case Ushi not only held all the cards, he clearly knew of needs that she and the Commandant were not yet aware of. Ivonovic took his cue from the rigellian chelna – he too could tell Ushi was after something much bigger than politics.  
Kenny Dolphin suddenly studied the old man. Until this moment, he had a hard time believing this was one of Minerva Irons’ children. But all the playfulness Ushi had exhibited throughout this meeting had vanished. Dolphin could clearly hear the ring of authority he had heard so often from this man’s mother – he almost wanted to hear Ushi say “approved.” Only now was the family resemblance blatantly apparent. Underneath the ridiculous white beard and long, straight white hair was the masculine version of Justice Irons’ face – beautiful, elegant, aristocratic, dominant.  
Ushi continued, resolve clear in his voice. “Shelve the designs for the Explorer. Go ahead with the 32 new Escort class ships and the 16 Intrepid class. Scale back the initial run of the Prowler class to 44. We do not yet know enough about the performance of this class for such an unprecedented build request – cutting the order to 44 will de-obligate an enormous amount of resources. And you are going to need those resources. I need you to immediately begin work on a new class of Star Fleet vessel with the capabilities of the B.W.S.V. Vyvya – but larger – able to move tens of millions of people in one trip. Do not await a vote, Commandant. I will deliver the votes. I want a completed prototype by the end of the next solar year. Completed and mission ready. And, unlike the bolian vessel I just referenced, this planetary rescue ship needs to be able to take care of itself in battle. Weapons, shields, and interceptors. It also needs to be fast. Mission ready and ready to scale for mass production in one year.”  
Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi’s antennae gave up all pretense of calm control and began twitching wildly. “Ushi – what is it? What do you know?”  
“Not enough,” Ushi replied. “But I know we’re going to need those ships. And Barrett – keep this order as quiet as you can. At least until we can come up with a good story for why we’re building a fleet of planetary rescue vehicles…”

11.2


	6. Episode 11.3 - Intersections and Reunions: Medical Office, U.S.S. Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Two of the junior crew members have started an intimate relationship and, according to procedure, are required to file a joint disclosure with the Chief Medical Officer and one of the Executive Staff.
> 
> _ Navigator Johanna Imex paused on her way out, winked at Pep and said, “His tongue has ridges too…”_  
_“Would you get OUT???” Dr. Tali Shae exclaimed._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I hope in the future that we can all be a bit more adult about sexual intimacy. But in any hierarchy, there must be protections. In my imagining, such protection could take the form of a procedure to allow but put reasonable limits on personal relationships.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 3: Medical Office, U.S.S. Hunter

11.3  
Medical Office, U.S.S. Hunter

Johanna Imex was delighted, elated and scared to death. Before joining Star Fleet, she had been the navigator on her husband’s freighter for nearly a decade. It was a childless marriage and ended with a few years of not talking and eventually a quiet and rather sad divorce. Now her four-year commitment to Star Fleet was nearly up, but she had decided some time ago that she was staying – partly because she had become fast friends with her commanding officer – 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor – and partly because she had developed a burning crush on a younger man who was clearly a career officer.   
This was her first intimate affair while in Star Fleet and she was dreading the “disclosure” that Star Fleet policy required. She would have preferred to give it a few weeks and see how things were going before having this meeting. At least it was going to be with Commander Pepper instead of either Justice Irons or Lt. Cmdr. Mlady. Pep knew how to make everyone feel at ease. Just being around the Hunter’s enormous first officer was reassuring – there was nothing that he couldn’t handle.

Dr. Tali Shae was the last to enter the medical office. She found Pep lounging comfortably on a chase she had placed there primarily for his use. Ensign Sun Ho Hui and Navigator Johanna Imex were sitting nervously in the two other lounge chairs. Instead of sitting behind her desk, Tali hopped up and sat on it. “Alright, children, we know why you’re here. You got it on and now you’ve got to come clean…” She favored each of the two young crew members with a stern look - both looked like they were about to crawl out of their skins.  
Pep started laughing. “Cut the routine, Tali. Hui, Jo Jo – Tali and I do this all the time. Far more often than you might think. I’m just delighted the two of you are finally getting around to it. Hui - how you could be so oblivious to the fact that Jo Jo here has been carrying a torch for you is just astounding to me. So tell me, do you like her?”  
Ensign Sun completely panicked. “I, I, I’m um…” he stammered until Imex laid her head on his shoulder and a look of relief swept over his face.  
Pep and Tali both laughed. “That is definitely an answer,” Pep said. “Jo Jo, he’s not going to make it through the week without you…”  
Johanna Imex broke into a smile that could light up any room. Sun just looked terribly relieved.  
“Okay, Johanna,” Tali said, swinging her feet off the edge of her desk. Her antennae comically mimicked the swinging of her legs in reverse. “Since Hui can’t seem to find his tongue at the moment – and you should probably help him with that after the two of you get out of here – you have to tell us the story… How did the two of you finally get it together?”  
Unlike Ensign Sun, Johanna Imex was not completely inhibited. “Well, Mr. Sun told me he was part bajoran and I was playing with his nose – you can barely see them, but it has tiny, soft little ridges – and something came up and it turns out it has these wonderful, soft little ridges too….”  
“And that’s more than I ever wanted to know about bajoran physiology,” Tali interrupted.  
“You’ll never look at Sam the same way again,” Pep intoned.  
“Yeah, shut up about that…”  
“I bet his ridges are bigger and harder…”  
“Shut UP!!!”  
Johanna and Pep were both laughing raucously. Sun was blushing violently - but smiling and laughing quietly.

“Okay, here’s the rules…” Pep said. “You’re not in the same department, which makes things easier, but you still have to maintain ranks. Ensign Sun is an officer, Jo Jo, so if he gives you an order, you have to follow it. If you think he is abusing your relationship, not that I think for a second he would even consider it, take it up with him first. When the relationship ends, the two of you should come to an agreement about that and come before us again for another joint disclosure. There is nothing wrong with relationships that run their course and come to an end. Everyone here knows what Kenny Dolphin and T’Lon went through and they are now as close friends as you can find on this boat even though they filed their joint disclosure ending the intimate relationship months ago.”  
Tali piped up. “Hui, Johanna, remember - this is the good stuff. This is the fun part of life. Try to keep it that way. When it starts to be something you’re worrying about, when it starts to hurt, you’re doing something wrong. So whenever that happens, you can come and tell me and I’ll tell you to give it up and break it off... So… it’s best you go to Pep. He’s actually good at helping people with relationships and unlike me, he seems to enjoy it.”  
“Well, you can bring your heartaches and insecurities to me if you want," Pep said, "but it will be far more effective if you bring them to each other first. Now get out… I need a word with the doctor… And Jo Jo - help Hui find his tongue…”  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui nearly ran from the medical office. Navigator Johanna Imex paused on her way out, winked at Pep and said, “His tongue has ridges too…”  
“Would you get OUT???” Dr. Tali Shae exclaimed.  
  
Pep stretched and stood up slowly from the chase. “Tali, as your commanding officer, Minnie wanted me to have a talk with you about your professional appearance.”  
“What are you talking about?” Tali’s antennae began twitching in irritation.  
“It’s how you take care of your uniform.” He tossed her a small box, which she caught deftly. “You need to correct that. Not befitting an officer of your rank… Commander,” he said, then turned and squeezed out of the door into the corridor.  
Dr. Tali Shae could not help but smile as she opened the box - a single solid platinum rank pip was inside.

11.3


	7. Episode 11.4 - Intersections and Reunions: Star Fleet Headquarters, Dubuque, Iowa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Lt. Kenny Dolphin faces some harsh questions at Star Fleet Headquarters. And raises a few of his own...
> 
> _Fleet Admiral Stewart continued. “Some people seem to think I should pin a medal on you. Others want you shot. I’m quite tempted to do both and I’m not really certain I care about which I do first...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
It took awhile for me to catch up with where this story is going, but I think I've got it now...
> 
> My relocation of Star Fleet headquarters from Fort Baker, California to Dubuque, Iowa was inspired by the shot of the Enterprise being constructed in Riverside, Iowa in the 2009 movie. While the movies tend to collocate all things federation in San Francisco, it makes sense to me that these things would be spread out for security and also economic reasons.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 4: Star Fleet Headquarters, Dubuque, Iowa

11.4  
Star Fleet Headquarters, Dubuque, Iowa

“I honestly do not know what to do with you, Lieutenant.”

Kenny Dolphin had endured the more or less silent discomfort of Star Fleet Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi, who apparently had decided to hand him over to the second and third ranking officers in Star Fleet – respectively, Chief of Staff, Admiral Jamaal El Fadil and Chief of Operations, Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart.  
Following the death of Dr. Scumuk, the former director of Star Fleet Medical, Stewart was one of only two living Fleet Admirals in Star Fleet. It was a rank that was only given during wartime. Both she and Fleet Admiral Alynna Necheyev, the shadowy Director of Star Fleet Intelligence, had earned that rank during the Cardassian War and both women were now octogenarians.  
The Chief of Staff had not spoken at all during this meeting, even though it was held in his office in the newly constructed Star Fleet Headquarters in Dubuque, Iowa. Part of this building jutted directly into and was partially submerged in the Mississippi River, which flowed around the two transparent outer walls of this office, offering views of wildlife and debris flowing in the river just outside. An enormous catfish patrolled back and forth just outside the wall behind Admiral el Fadil's desk.

Fleet Admiral Stewart continued. “Some people seem to think I should pin a medal on you. Others want you shot. I’m quite tempted to do both and I’m not really certain I care about which I do first.” She leaned forward and pointed at Dolphin. “You told me that Governor Ivonovic was willing to surrender his office and return to Earth with you…”  
Dolphin waited until the silence had grown long enough that it was clear some response was expected from him. “And that happened…”  
“You didn’t tell me you were going to put him on the Federation Council!”  
“I… Yeah, I left that part out…”  
“I know you left that part out! What was it that made you think such a lie of omission might possibly be acceptable?”  
“There was no margin for error, Fleet Admiral,” Dolphin replied. “If I had not brought Emory back to Earth as a Councilmember, he would have surrendered himself to the Tribunal and that would have been a disaster.”

“What??” “What???” Fleet Admiral Stewart and Admiral El Fadil asked - nearly in unison.

“There was no case. No evidence. Nothing. I don’t know who convinced the Tribunal to order Ivonovic indicted, but if that trial had gone forward, the Tribunal would be buried in scandal. It could have severely divided the Federation politically – making it impossible to work with the Homeworld coalition. We could have seen a walkout from the Federation Council,” Dolphin responded.  
“And you know this how?” Stewart asked, clearly more that skeptical.  
“I researched it. You know that I was a prosecutor once… I know a lousy case when I see one. Why do you think the Tribunal never insisted that you reel Ivonovic in? Never shut down his subversive little subspace radio program? You could have done it easily and you had months to do it. The only reason Star Fleet didn’t do it could only be because someone at the Tribunal told you not to - if not you, someone close to you. A message must have gone out from this building to several hundred ambitious Star Fleet officers telling them Ivonovic was off limits. With just a little research, I bet I can find out whom that message came from…”  
Miriam Stewart was flummoxed. She exchanged a glance with Admiral El Fadil, only to realize he was as much at a loss as she was. Star Fleet captains had occasionally boxed her into a corner - she had been Chief of Operations since the Cardassian War, so that was almost inevitable that would happen once or twice in so many years. But she could not remember ever being outmaneuvered by a lieutenant.

Fleet Admiral Stewart was clear about three things: 1) Lt. Dolphin had to be right – an order to leave Ivonovic alone must have come from Fleet Operations; 2) she desperately wanted to know who had issued that order; and 3) she had less than no desire to call Dolphin’s bluff and let him be the one to find that individual. There was only one thing to do:  
“Lieutenant, in light of your testimony here, I am suspending this hearing pending further investigation. Keep your communicator on and don’t leave Earth..”

11.4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Admiral Jamaal El Fadil (Jamaal)  
Human Ethnicity: Egyptian  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Cairo, Egypt. Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.4  
Age when introduced: 62  
Role: Star Fleet Chief of Staff


	8. Episode 11.5 - Intersections and Reunions: Flight Cabin, B.R. Prophet Motive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Irons meets with her granddaughter, grandson-in-law, and a romulan operative they run - the infamous Pivin the Betrayer...
> 
> _“The border with the Dead Zone,” said Minerva Irons. “Has it moved?”_  
_“Sixty-eight years ago, romulan space was invaded by a people we called the ‘tell’,” Pivin said. “They were actually a coalition of four separate species..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Pivin is a critical character who will show up more (along with her runners, Pomm and Oarama Irons).

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 5: Flight Cabin, B.R. Prophet Motive

11.5  
Flight Cabin, B.R. Prophet Motive

The U.S.S. Hunter re-entered Federation space near Vulcan. A full-size runabout was waiting just outside the system. Privately owned spacecraft were not unusual within the Federation and the runabout was the most popular available design for privately owned spacecraft. This one had been finished in cardassian yellow and had evidently been modified to add heavier armaments, faster engines and heavier shield capacity - all good ideas given the large number of Star Fleet vessels lost in the recent wars with the Klingon Empire, the Dominion and the 3rd Borg incursion.  
While the Federation was still far stronger than the next two Alpha Quadrant powers combined, much of that strength was due to the ability of the various homeworld fleets to supplement Star Fleet at need. Most remaining Star Fleet deep space vessels and capital ships were more than 15 years old. Some Reliant class ships had been overhauled and were still in service after nearly 50 years – if relegated to support roles. There were no new deep space exploration vehicles. The only new vessels in current production were the Intrepid class and the Escort class. Even with Star Fleet’s emphasis on creating a larger number of small but powerful ships, piracy had become a serious problem.  
The runabout, which bore the name “B.R. Prophet Motive” along with a registry number in bajoran numerals, docked with the Hunter just outside the Vulcan star system. A small formation of vulcan long-range interceptors patrolled at a respectful distance.

“Well, grandmother, what do you think?” Oarama Irons made a small sweeping motion around the flight booth of the runabout, which doubled as a sort of living room and tripled as an office. Oarama’s husband, Pomm Irons was seated next to an older romulan woman who was pouring over information on a workstation. While Oarama’s features favored Justice Minerva Irons, her heritage was clearly largely cardassian. Pomm was short, bearded, enormously obese, 100% bajoran and, like his wife and the older romulan woman, dressed in the latest bajoran fashion.  
“You have made a lot of changes since I saw it last,” Irons said. “Is this still your primary residence?” Behind Justice Irons, Transporter Engineer K’rok entered, then Commander David Pepper squeezed through the entrance. There was barely room for the giant first officer to stand up straight and with his presence, the interior of the runabout was instantly transformed from spacious to crowded.  
“I know what you’re thinking and we just are not ready for children yet,” Oarama said.  
Minerva Irons made an amused sound, then turned toward the older romulan woman. “I see you have remained, Pivin. It is good to see you again.”

Pivin was small, unassuming and unusually pale for a romulan. She gave Irons a shy smile. “Jolan Tru, your honor. And Doctor Pepper, who is this young man you have brought with you?”  
“Only the finest singer I have ever encountered and a journeyman on the thomburou drums,” Pep replied.  
“I love thomburou drumming,” Pivin responded. “No wonder you appear so physically fit. You evidently have both klingon and human ancestry,” she added.  
K’rok smiled and responded by offering a data card.  
Pep spoke up as Pivin took the card. “All six hours of Pivin the Betrayer. With K’rok and myself singing and a few other musicians from our crew as well. You will see their performances – and personal messages…”

“As much as I would love to tease my grandchild about giving me more great-grandchildren and let David rattle on about the opera he wrote in your honor, I came here to talk to you, Pivin,” Irons said. “Let’s look at some star charts.”   
The older romulan woman’s discomfort was not lost on Justice Irons. “Don’t worry, Pivin. I will only be asking you to betray every oath you have ever taken, go against all of your training and commit treason against the empire of the highest order…”  
Oddly, sardonic humor from a Star Fleet captain had a calming effect on the romulan. She ran a hand through her short, salt-and-pepper hair and sat down again with a sigh. “I suppose high treason against all I was raised to believe is the price I pay for saving a few thousand lives.”  
“Tens of thousands,” Pomm corrected. It was clear from both his reactions and Oarama’s that both he and his wife deeply admired and cared greatly for the older romulan woman.  
“This time it will be billions of lives,” Justice Irons responded. “And the time has come for you to give with both hands. Do you recognize this star chart?”  
Everyone in the runabout caught the urgency in Justice Irons’ voice.

“The eastern edge of the Romulan Star Empire - you would call it the far side,” Pivin responded.

“The border with the Dead Zone,” said Minerva Irons. “Has it moved?”  
“Sixty-eight years ago, romulan space was invaded by a people we called the ‘tell’,” Pivin said. “They were actually a coalition of four separate species. Their technology was limited - their ships could not exceed warp 3 and were easily destroyed, but they came by the billions. Our warbirds burned their weapon systems out again and again – destroying their ships by the thousands. But the tell kept coming in wave after wave. Hundreds of thousands of ships. Their weapons couldn’t even cut through our navigational screens, but they destroyed many of our ships by boxing them in and ramming them. We couldn’t prevent them from establishing a foothold. The war lasted nearly thirty years. We kept building better and better ships. They just kept building the same model, but they built them by the millions and threw their entire populations at us – ships run by children, sick people barely able to move. They suffered unimaginable losses. They could better afford to lose 10,000 ships than we could afford to lose one.”  
Pivin had everyone’s rapt attention. It was clear that Pomm and Oarama had never heard this story.   
“As suddenly as it began, it stopped. We lost nearly 30 ships in a single day - they never returned from missions in the contested zone. The tell had occupied three star systems on the edge of romulan space. Drones sent to those areas verified - all dead. Billions of people - four different species - all dead. Entire star systems sterilized – completely devoid of life. Fleets of ships full of dead bodies. Not so much as a virus survived. The Dead Zone had moved. That was why they had invaded so desperately in the first place. They were being driven from their homeworlds.”

Justice Irons took a deep breath. “We knew the Romulan Empire was embroiled in something that kept the neutral zone quiet for nearly thirty years, but we never knew what.”  
Pivin grimaced. “One of many official secrets. I have no grandchildren left for Imperial Intelligence Control to torture and execute. My brother and all his children and grandchildren are dead. The Empire has effective means for protecting its secrets. Even now with all my family executed, it is really difficult to break that conditioning.”  
“I’m afraid I must ask for even more, Pivin,” Irons said. “The Dead Zone is moving. We will need to move any populations living near. We have projections on where and how fast. Observe…” Irons touched a control and Pivin, Pomm, Oarama, Pep and K’rok watched as the Dead Zone slowly, inexorably engulfed first the Romulan Star Empire, taking parts of klingon and federation space, then in sudden jumps took the entire Klingon Empire, then in another series of sudden jumps and gradual movements, swept almost the entire federation, the Cardassian Union and nearly every other inhabited portion of the Alpha Quadrant before gradually sweeping away from the Milky Way.

For a few minutes, six people sat looking at a map that depicted nearly the entirety of known populated space sterilized. Even though the entire process would take thousands of years, the finality of it was like an unbearable weight. A few areas claimed by the breen and the tholians remained untouched, but not their homeworlds.   
Pep slapped his knees. “Well, that was cheerful and uplifting…”  
Pivin looked at Minerva Irons. “Is there hope?”  
Irons took a deep breath. “Yes.”  
“What is the plan?”  
“Evacuate the worlds within three hundred light years of the Dead Zone. Begin repair to the machine that was designed protect our galaxy from the gamma bursts that are continuing to create the Dead Zone.”  
“There is a machine?” Pivin asked.  
Irons responded by displaying some of the telemetry taken by the Hunter from the border of the Dead Zone that showed the vast expanse of the machine, blocking gamma radiation in some areas, failing in others. “Fleet Admiral Scumuk referred to it as the ‘Hulk’.”  
“How old is this machine?” asked Pivin.  
“At least 9 million years old,” Irons replied.  
“Can you repair it?”  
“Probably not.”  
“Who can?” Pivin asked.  
Irons took a deep breath. “The Borg. They built it…”

11.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Oarama Irons (Oarama)  
Human Ethnicity: Chinese  
Additional Species: Cardassian, Bajoran, Vulcan, Betazoid, Trill  
Hometown/Homeworld: Ba Sing Se, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 11.5  
Age when introduced: 28  
Role: Spy Handler
> 
> Character: Pomm Irons (Pomm)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Bajoran  
Hometown/Homeworld: Temple of the Veil, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 11.5  
Age when introduced: 36  
Role: Spy Runner
> 
> Character: Pivin the Betrayer (Pivin)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Valkarja, Romulus  
Introduced: Episode 11.5  
Age when introduced: 171z  
Role: Spy
> 
> Character: Transporter Engineer K’rok (K’rok)  
Human Ethnicity: Indian  
Additional Species: Klingon  
Hometown/Homeworld: Trantor, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 11.5  
Age when introduced: 19  
Role: Transporter Engineer, U.S.S. Hunter


	9. Episode 11.6 - Intersections and Reunions: Central Park, New York City, New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Kenny Dolphin meets with his daughters River Dolphin and Starlight Dolphin. He has not seen River, his older daughter, in more than a decade...
> 
> _The whole universe is Roman Catholic, Dad,” Starlight said. “Didn’t you know that?”_  
_“No one ever tells me the important things…”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
One of the small stories within this large story is the reconciliation of Kenny Dolphin with his estranged daughters and the transformation of his relationship with T'Lon into a close, lifelong friendship.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 6: Central Park, New York City, New York

11.6  
Central Park, New York City, New York

A crisp September sunrise created glows and shadows throughout New York City’s fabled Central Park. In a large gazebo, a mixed group of humans, vulcans and denobulans were meditating - some standing, some seated on the floor, some on the benches - led by a deep-throated tellarite chanting in a language that sounded suspiciously like Latin.  
On a broad, grassy knoll, another group consisting of humans and a surprising number of klingons as well as bajorans and trills, with no evident leader, were moving in unison through martial arts forms that appeared to combine Tai Chi with various klingon and bajoran disciplines – their movement so controlled and gradual that a casual observer might think at first glance that they were some sort of sculpture exhibit.  
A middle aged man with bright blue eyes and corn blonde hair that was graying at his temples, was seated on a park bench. Next to him sat a young woman with the same color hair and eyes. Their facial resemblance clearly marked them as close relatives – father and daughter. A moment later, another young woman – also with corn blonde hair and blue eyes – joined them. The two young women were dressed in blue jogging suits with pink piping along the sleeves and legs and matching pink running shoes. Not twins, but clearly sisters. Their father wore a simple but elegant brown suit with subtle gold pin striping, a simple white shirt and highly polished Wellingtons.  
For a moment, all three were silent, clearly wrestling with intense and mixed emotions. They had not been together in one place for well over a decade. Kenny Dolphin fretted with a small leather suitcase – empty now because he was wearing all the clothing he owned. A few years ago he had owned enough clothing and shoes to fill a closet, and furniture, antique books and other items to fill a small apartment and thought his life Spartan. After nearly four years in Star Fleet, even owning a suitcase seemed an embarrassment, an indulgence. But he was glad of the suit – it allowed his daughters to see him as he once was – a university professor, not an officer in what was admittedly a military structure.

“We have been invited to Hawaii,” Kenny Dolphin started. “Day after tomorrow. I know it’s short notice, but I hope you can push your schedules around to spend a few days with me. Surfing, boating, time with friends on the beach…”  
“Will your girlfriend be there?” Starlight Dolphin asked, then blushed, immediately regretting it.  
To her surprise, the question made her father laugh and relax a little. “Our affair lasted only while T’Lon was going through Pon Farr. She dropped me like a sack of hot rocks as soon as it was over. But we have remained friends and she has offered to teach you both how to surf.”  
“When did you start surfing?” River Dolphin asked.  
Kenny Dolphin caught his breath and had to look down. He had not heard his older daughter’s voice in years. It had changed - the voice of a woman now. “Almost a year ago, now,” he managed. He took a deep breath, regained his composure, looked up again. “I only managed it once, but it was a 50’ wave. It was amazing…”  
River smiled and laughed. Starlight was scandalized. “What were you doing on a huge wave like that? Trying to drown yourself??”  
River turned toward her sister. “He’s serious?”  
Starlight’s response was simple. “Dad never lies.”  
Kenny Dolphin rubbed an imaginary grain of sand from his eye. “T’Lon’s teaching style. Sink or Surf. I wasn’t afraid for a second while I was with her. In retrospect, it was terrifying.” He suddenly turned toward the gazebo with its mixture of people meditating to the sounds of the chanting tellarite.

“He IS chanting in Latin,” Dolphin said with some surprise.  
“Of course he is, Dad,” River responded. “He’s a Roman Catholic priest.”  
“A tellarite?”  
“Don’t you recognize the robes?” River replied.  
“The whole universe is Roman Catholic, Dad,” Starlight said. “Didn’t you know that?”  
“No one ever tells me the important things…”   
Starlight and River both laughed.

“I’ve been to Hawaii,” said River. “It wasn’t that impressive.”  
“We will be staying at the George Smith estate on Kauai Island,” Kenny Dolphin said. “It’s the most beautiful place I have ever seen. And I’ve seen some really amazing things over the past year.”  
“George Smith? Is he some distant relative?” asked Starlight.  
“In a very roundabout way,” her father replied. “He is native Hawaiian. But I carry a small part of his daughter’s katra – her living essence – at least that’s what I’ve been told,” he finished, catching a skeptical look from Starlight.  
Starlight sighed. “I will have to skip a few classes and arrange for someone else to run my workshops for a few days, but I will go if River goes.”  
River smiled. “I’m completely free. How do we get there?”  
“Meet at Starlight’s apartment day after tomorrow,” Kenny Dolphin said. “Nine-hundred… That is 9:00 a.m. Think as hard as you can the following name: Eli Strahl. Say it aloud a few times and tell him you are ready. He will arrange your transport. I will meet you in Hawaii.”  
“What???” Both daughters were incredulous.  
Kenny Dolphin smiled. “Eli is one of my navigators and a powerful telepath – betazoid. He will be listening for you. Don’t be too shocked when you hear his voice in your mind.”  
“And where will you be until then?” River asked.  
“St. Petersburg, Russia. I have enough time for a late breakfast here, then I must go to make things ready for my captain…”

11.6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: River Dolphin (River)  
Human Ethnicity: German American  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: New York City, New York, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.6  
Age when introduced: 24  
Role: Party Girl


	10. Episode 11.7 - Intersections and Reunions: Daystrom Institute Headquarters, New Eden, Mars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter is being retrofitted to house the newer, heavier long-range interceptors. Dr. Jack Bowman is brought in to help solve a nightmare of mathematical problems that arise from this retrofit...
> 
> _With a wave of his holographic hand, Hunter filled the room with movable holographic chalkboards, most of them already saturated with calculations. He turned toward Dr. Bowman. “Following this meeting I plan to make a social call. I am not needed at Utopia Planetia for a few days.”_  
_Bowman gave the hologram a sly, evaluating look. Then: “You have a girlfriend!”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I learned from the TV show Num3ers that I could tell math stories without actually showing you the math. Before NASA ever sent a rocket into space or even built one, they fired the rocket on a chalkboard first. 
> 
> Starships fly on math before they can fly on anything else. I love the idea that all of Star Trek could only be possible because a bunch of nerds got together in a room and argued about lines of chalk on a bunch of chalkboards...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 7: Daystrom Institute Headquarters, New Eden, Mars

11.7  
Daystrom Institute Headquarters, New Eden, Mars

Dr. Jack Bowman had curly, iron gray hair, bright blue eyes and dark skin. Originally from Argentina, he had moved to Santiago decades ago to join the Applied Physics Department at Universidad de Chile. He was funny, charming, clearly brilliant, and intensely disliked by the other two men in the room - Dr. Sarekson Carrera and Professor Jose Crumar.   
Although the U.S.S. Hunter was in orbit of Earth, the ship’s holographic interactive avatar was projecting himself into this conference room via a subspace link with the Daystrom Institute’s holographic system. The close resemblance between Hunter and Professor Crumar was beyond striking. Hunter had been patterned after Crumar, but captured Crumar’s appearance from eleven years previous. While their clothing was not identical, both were wearing the same wrinkled white lab coat. But again, the holographic projection captured that garment in an earlier and considerably less stained and threadbare condition. The real lab coat, like the real Crumar, had aged visibly and not entirely gracefully.   
As much as he hated to admit it, Dr. Carrera needed Dr. Bowman - one of very few terrestrial mathematicians more talented than he was. Bowman had been on the review committee for the Sun retrofits and maintained that he had spotted a critical, potentially disastrous oversight in Carrera’s calculations.

“It is very pleasant to meet you, Hunter,” Dr. Bowman said. “But I must ask why you are in orbit of Earth instead of here at Mars for the retrofits.”  
Hunter walked about the conference room, one of the largest in the Daystrom Institute’s primary campus in New Eden, Mars. The entire colony, one of the first built on the red planet, was an enormous structure that contained dozens of buildings and encapsulated rooms - most with transparent walls to allow as much visible space as possible. This conference room, located atop the tallest building under the New Eden dome, had transparent walls and ceiling, allowing an unobstructed view of the stars through the dome and much of the New Eden colony below.  
With a wave of his holographic hand, Hunter filled the room with movable holographic chalkboards, most of them already saturated with calculations. He turned toward Dr. Bowman. “Following this meeting I plan to make a social call. I am not needed at Utopia Planetia for a few days.”  
Bowman gave the hologram a sly, evaluating look. Then: “You have a girlfriend!”  
Hunter opened his mouth to reply.  
“Don’t bother denying it,” Bowman interrupted. “I have known Jose long enough to read the signs. Apparently when Dr. Carrera was copying Jose’s personality matrix into you, he gave you the old man’s love for women.”  
Until that moment, Dr. Carrera had not realized that he had given the holographic avatar the ability to blush.

“Okay, so we have three problems to solve,” Dr. Bowman started, walking over to one of the chalkboards. “First, to accommodate the new long-range interceptors, we’re inevitably going to increase Hunter’s mass significantly. Fortunately, the new total mass will still be within the original 28 calculations in what Dr. Carrera has called his ‘sweet spot’. Unfortunately, the distribution of solutions at the upper end of the 28 Carrera Caramels, as I have been referring to them, is not advantageous for the applications you need them for – specifically launching the tactical unit, the wagon or either or both of the new long-range interceptors while in recursive warp.”  
Carrera and Crumar nodded. “We are well aware of this problem,” Jose Crumar started.  
Dr. Bowman clucked his tongue. “This was the easiest problem to solve. Pathetically easy. So easy I had my graduate students do most of the work and solved it for you, but you could have done this if you weren’t blinded by genius…”  
“Don’t play with me, Jack,” Crumar said. “What is your solution?”  
“Just what you told me all those years ago, before our young genius here was born, back when I was your star pupil,” Bowman replied. He rapped his knuckles against two blank chalkboards and said, “Display Bowman solutions!” Both chalkboards were suddenly filled with horrendously complex equations. “Do the MATH, Jack! That’s what you told me. Over and over… DO.. THE… MATH!!” He took a piece of holographic chalk and finished each of the equations with three exclamation marks. “So what if the new solutions you need don’t fit into some brilliant sweet spot that came to you in a vision? So what if the answer is just good old fashioned hard mathematics? Jose, have your students check these equations. These are two of the twelve you need. Here are the rest…” Bowman clapped his hands and ten more holographic chalkboards appeared, each covered with arcane, horrendously complicated equations. He pounded his fist into his hand and each holographic equation was completed with three exclamation marks – holographic chalk on holographic chalkboards.

Dr. Carrera got up and strolled around, inspecting each chalkboard. He picked up a piece of holographic chalk, then on four of the equations changed the speed of light, a critical part of each equation, from positive to negative and in one other equation changed it from negative to positive.

Dr. Bowman sat down next to Professor Crumar, watching Carrera with appreciation. “He is good, Jose.”  
Crumar leaned back in his chair. “He knows you always leave errors in your formulas to test your students.”  
“You have structured these so that we don’t have to change our mass balancing calculations,” Carrera observed.  
“Of course,” Bowman responded. “Why force you to reinvent the wheel? I simply reversed your paradigm - I made the math work for the mass.”

Carrera kept staring at the equations. “There’s another problem,” he said.  
“Good…” Dr. Bowman intoned. It was clear from their facial expressions that both Jose and his holographic doppelgänger, Hunter, that they had both spotted it shortly after Carrera had.  
Carrera quickly sketched a calculation on a blank board. “There, that will fix all twelve of them.”

“Wrong,” Bowman said. 

Hunter, Crumar and Carrera all looked at him skeptically.   
Bowman threw up his hands. “Okay - your solution is much better than mine, and I worked on the problem for a week. But you’re missing the critical point. That formula - helps stabilize the intermix if you encounter subspace instabilities. You had something like it in your original calculation…”  
Carrera nodded. “Without it, the recursive warpfield could destabilize in areas with subspace instabilities.”  
“Potentially catastrophically,” Bowman said. “Do that anywhere near a populated star system, and you could change the orbits of its planets. Here’s what you missed… That neat little formula of yours doesn’t solve all twelve problems - it solves all thirteen. Your so-called sweet spots - Carrera Caramels, if you will - they’re only short-cuts. You missed the potential instability because you didn’t go back and do the full equation. You’ve been scooting all over the Alpha Quadrant in recursive warp - you’ve just gotten lucky that you haven’t run afoul of one of those instabilities.”  
Carrera opened his mouth as if to speak. Bowman slammed his fist on the table. “DO THE MATH!! Check it yourself! We still have another problem to solve!” He sank into a chair and deliberately calmed himself. “Let’s do a thought experiment. You’re running away from some, let’s say romulans. And somehow, they’re hitting warp 15. What do you do? Photon torpedo, right?”  
Carrera and Hunter sat down at the table. Carrera nodded.  
“And you replace the missing mass with trace gasses and space debris…”  
“In most areas within the Milky Way there is plenty of trace gas to replace a torpedo - or two,” Carrera said.  
“When does the mass go missing?”  
“When it exits the warp shell.”  
“And how does a torpedo exit a warp shell?”  
Carrera boggled at Bowman. Hunter was the first to catch on. He put his holographic hand on Carrera’s shoulder. “Incrementally…”  
“So what happens if you bring the replacement mass into the warp shell before the majority of the mass of the torpedo leaves it? Or if the majority of its mass exits before the replacement mass is brought in?”  
Crumar answered. “It potentially destabilizes the warp field…”  
Bowman dropped his fist on the table with a thump. “With potentially catastrophic consequences. I don’t even know how to address this one…”  
Crumar shrugged. “Too many variables…”

Carrera and Hunter looked at each other. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Hunter asked.  
Carrera said, “Lynhart Shran…”  
Bowman looked at them both. “What?”

“Transporter rifle,” they said in unison.

“What??” said Bowman and Crumar in unison.  
“We use the same principle for the torpedo launch as a transporter rifle. At the moment the torpedo is fired - just as it leaves the tube,” Carrera said, “we beam it outside of the warp shell...”  
“And at the same moment, beam in the replacement mass,” said Hunter. “Instantaneous mass exchange.”

“Jose,” Dr. Bowman said, gesturing toward Carrera and Hunter, “I think your genius created a genius…”

11.7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Dr. Jack Bowman (Jack)  
Human Ethnicity: Argintinan  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Poblacion Lago Ranco, Argintina, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.7  
Age when introduced: 61  
Role: Director of Mathematics Department, Universidad de Chile
> 
> Character: Jose Crumar (Jose)  
Human Ethnicity: Mexican  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: New Eden, Mars  
Introduced: Episode 11.7  
Age when introduced: 91  
Role: Director of Warp Field Research, Daystrom Institute


	11. Episode 11.8 - Intersections and Reunions: Anna's Egg, Bolshaya Neva River, St. Petersburg, Russia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
In a small watercraft in the Bolsaya Neva River, Julian Bashir makes Kenny Dolphin an offer he can't refuse...
> 
> _Irons laughed. “Kenneth, may I introduce Chief Justice Scrivax and Chief Justice Julian Bashir… Chief Justices, my director of flight operations, Kenneth Dolphin.”_  
_Chief Justice Scrivax favored Dolphin with a slight nod, then took a seat in the back of the boat. Julian Bashir shook Dolphin’s hand vigorously, looked him in the eyes. “So you’re the infamous Dr. Kenny Dolphin. What a pleasure it is to meet you,” he said, emphasizing the words ‘you’re’ and ‘you.’ “Philosopher, pundit, daredevil pilot and secret agent – interplanetary man of intrigue… When I grow up I want to be just like you…”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
DS9 fans will remember Slade recruiting Julian Bashir into Section 31. Because Julian was the perfect person to step into Slade's shoes as director of the super secret Federation dirty tricks agency...
> 
> If you can picture this scene in your mind, it should have more of the feel of a James Bond movie than Star Trek. It all takes place on a motorboat on a river in St. Petersburg.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 8: Anna's Egg, Bolshaya Neva River, St. Petersburg, Russia

11.8  
Anna’s Egg, Bolshaya Neva River, St. Petersburg, Russia

After making arrangements in St. Petersburg, including arranging for a small watercraft, Lt. Kenny Dolphin spent the night aboard the U.S.S. Hunter. Like all Star Fleet vessels, the Hunter’s chronometer was synchronized to the Central North American Time Zone to coincide with Star Fleet Command in Dubuque.   
Since St. Petersburg was 18 hours ahead of the Hunter, Dolphin could only sleep a few hours. He met Lt. Tauk in the Director’s Lounge only long enough to exchange a few words as he donned an outfit that 2nd Lt. T’Lon had prepared for him on the captain’s orders – white slacks, a skin-tight blue and white striped body-suit, navy blue peacoat and deck shoes.  
On returning to St. Petersburg, Dolphin found Justice Minerva Irons waiting for him at the public pier near the Museum of History on Zayachiy Island. A small, battery-powered boat bearing the inscription яйцо Анны (Anna’s Egg) was readied for them. Irons was wearing a similar navy peacoat over a black body-suit and similar deck shoes. A brisk September wind lifted her long black and silver hair. She was smiling and relaxed. Seeing her in this new setting drew Dolphin's attention to her face, reminding him strongly of her Chinese ancestry.

“I assume you know how to pilot one of these?” she asked as she ushered Dolphin aboard Anna’s Egg, then followed him onto the motorboat.  
“Yes, your honor,” Dolphin replied, taking the pilot seat.  
“Minerva,” Irons replied.  
“Captain?” Dolphin asked.  
“It’s time to drop the ranks, Kenneth,” Irons replied. “No one will ever believe I would allow anyone to use my influence the way you have unless it was someone close enough to be on a first name basis with me.”  
“I knew there would be consequences,” Dolphin replied. “I didn’t think familiarity would be one of them…” Dolphin paused, then added awkwardly, “Minerva.”  
Irons laughed. Dolphin could never remember seeing her so much at ease. “It’s a fitting punishment, Kenneth. You’re far less comfortable with familiarity than you would be with a reprimand and a stint in the brig.”  
Dolphin gave a rueful smile, then laughed. “True.”  
Irons removed a hypo-spray unit from a pocket of her peacoat. “Before we get underway, I need to give you an injection.”  
Dolphin raised his eyebrows, then dutifully pulled down his collar, allowing her to administer the injection to his neck.  
“Quadropseudoprozadiazomine,” Irons said. “Just a precaution. It’s going to play havoc with your perceptions at first, so we need to wait about 10 minutes before we get underway. We will head south along the Bolshaya Neva. At the last pier we will pick up a couple of passengers, then head out into the bay. This is a very small boat. Can you handle it in chop?”  
“I used to pilot something very similar – even smaller – down the Providence River and into the North Atlantic. Back when I was a stupid, immortal teenager. I don’t think I’ve lost the knack,” Dolphin replied.  
“Following your meeting at Star Fleet Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Stewart has taken a week’s leave of absence,” Irons said.

Dolphin blinked and looked around, trying to make the large orange and purple spots go away. They stubbornly refused to leave, apparently having decided to merge and change shapes instead. He was distracted by small waves barking like drunken dogs against the side of the boat. He shook his head again, trying to clear it, then asked, “Why?”

Irons removed a pad from an interior pocket of her peacoat. It took a few more minutes for Dolphin’s vision to clear so that he could see on the screen an image of Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart working at her desk. He turned toward Irons. “What am I looking at?”  
“Fleet Operations security video,” Irons replied. “Your surmise about an order placing former governor Ivonovic off limits was correct. Miriam tracked down the time and workstation that order came from and sent me the security video.”  
“The order came from her???”  
“Which is why she has taken a week’s medical leave. She doesn’t remember giving that order. Nor does she remember giving me the direct order to extract Ivonovic almost a year ago. She has checked herself into a private facility and taken a full dose of quadropseudoprozadiazomine.”  
Dolphin patted his neck. “This stuff?”  
“What I gave you amounts to an inoculation. Miriam needed the cure. What you’re recovering from now is nowhere near as intense as the next 30 hours will be for her. The hallucinogenic effects are powerful and extremely unpleasant. No one takes a full dose of this drug unless they have to shake the effects of repeated mind-melds.”

Once they were out on the river, Captain Irons brought Dolphin up to speed about the Gamma Gun Galaxy, the Hulk and the impending doom hanging over all life in the Alpha Quadrant, stopping occasionally to point out particularly interesting landmarks or impressive boats. Her cheerful demeanor was wildly at odds with the information she was imparting to her director of flight operations. The battery powered motor was nearly silent. Even with the slap of the waves against the hull of Anna’s Egg, the ride was very quiet.  
“You seem quite at ease for all the horrifying things you’ve been telling me, Minerva,” Dolphin said. “The Federation still bitterly divided over homeworld and hybrid issues, top admirals at Star Fleet telepathically compromised, covert attempts at genocide against Federation populations, an impending disaster along the romulan border that could lead the romulans into aggressive war against us or the klingons, increasing piracy, refugee populations being driven into the Federation along both the romulan and cardassian borders and now our only hope to avoid having our entire species wiped out by deadly gamma radiation is to make some sort of a nightmarish deal with the borg?”  
Irons laughed, squeezed Dolphin’s shoulder and smiled. He marveled at her unparalleled beauty despite the fine lines and subtle markers of age on her face – if anything they made her even more beautiful. “Kenneth, I am nearly 160 years old. The human race and the entire Alpha Quadrant have always been on the brink of disaster. But look around you! St. Petersburg is beautiful! The Neva is clear. The weather’s gorgeous, if a little brisk. And you are so young, so very young. What are you – 52? You have to learn to enjoy this life while you have it. We will always be facing down doom and disaster – laying down our lives to protect our worlds from it. If you can’t laugh in the face of that, you will never laugh at all.” She gestured to the bank ahead on the port side of the boat. “Stop at that pier – I see our passengers.”

Dolphin pulled the small motorboat up to the pier at Fontanka, at the mouth of Neva Bay, then stood up to assist two men onto the boat. The first was a severe looking, elderly vulcan dressed all in black. The other, a small, fit, cheery, middle-aged man with olive skin and sharply handsome aquiline features dressed all in white. “Hello, sailor,” he said to Dolphin with a distinct British accent, then eyeing Minerva Irons, with a very different emphasis repeated, “Hellooo sailor!”  
Irons laughed. “Kenneth, may I introduce Chief Justice Scrivax and Chief Justice Julian Bashir… Chief Justices, my director of flight operations, Kenneth Dolphin.”  
Chief Justice Scrivax favored Dolphin with a slight nod, then took a seat in the back of the boat. Julian Bashir shook Dolphin’s hand vigorously, looked him in the eyes. “So you’re the infamous Dr. Kenny Dolphin. What a pleasure it is to meet you,” he said, emphasizing the words ‘you’re’ and ‘you.’ “Philosopher, pundit, daredevil pilot and secret agent – interplanetary man of intrigue… When I grow up I want to be just like you…”  
Dolphin laughed as he retook the pilot seat. Bashir was immediately and immensely charming, but there was a warning sign in the man’s expression and in the way he emphasized his words. Dolphin had seen this warning sign before… With a shock, he realized that under the charm, Bashir was concealing an intense antipathy toward him. He wasn’t certain which man was more dangerous – the unsmiling, silent vulcan or the charming, gregarious human who was now flirting playfully with Justice Irons.

Dolphin was maneuvering Anna’s Egg through medium chop in Neva Bay and finally managed to tune back into the conversation. He had been listening not to the words, but to the tone. It was clear Bashir and Irons were more than friends – they were co-conspirators. It was equally clear that their seemingly innocent, flirtatious conversation was more for the benefit of their two observers in the boat than for their own.   
Only now was Irons getting around to explaining just how bad the outlook for the Federation was and the conversation had turned serious. But she didn’t tell Bashir about Fleet Admiral Stewart or the quadropseudoprozadiazomine.

It was at this moment that Chief Justice Scrivax broke his silence: “Now.”  
Julian Bashir’s voice took on a ring of authority that clearly came naturally to the man: “Station keeping, Lieutenant.”

Dolphin turned Anna’s Egg into the swell, applied a choke to the wheel and reduced power to the motor to allow the boat to maintain its relative location, moving forward at the same speed that the waves were pushing it back. He turned to face the passengers in the rear of the boat only to find the elderly vulcan’s hand on his face. The old vulcan moved with the speed of a snake and initiated a mind-meld. Dolphin could feel the old man probing his thoughts, rifling through his memories as if they were files in a filing cabinet. This mind-meld was different from any Dolphin had ever experienced – he felt like an observer, watching the elderly vulcan – not one and the same with him as he had come to expect from previous mind melds. He also felt (though did not try) as though he could safely hide memories and thoughts from Scrivax.  
As quickly as it had begun, the mind meld was over. “He’s clean,” Scrivax said.

Kenny Dolphin shook his head to make the orange and purple spots go away again. That was a memory Scrivax hadn’t seen.

“Trustworthy?” asked a skeptical Julian Bashir.  
“Above normal,” Scrivax replied.  
“Welcome to Section 31, Kenny Dolphin,” said Bashir. “This is not an invitation. This is an induction. You are already far more deeply involved in our activities than you realize. Minerva will explain the rest to you. The time has come to return us to Fontanka.”  
“And if I refuse?” asked Dolphin.  
“How well can you swim following a vulcan nerve pinch?”  
There was something deadly serious in Bashir’s voice. Kenny Dolphin responded by turning to the wheel and steering Anna’s Egg back toward Fontanka.

The ride back to the pier at Fontanka was silent. After Bashir and Scrivax disembarked, Kenny pulled the boat back into the Neva River, headed back toward the museum. For a few moments he and Irons rode in silence. Irons put her hand on his back.  
“Scrivax?” she asked.  
“He’s dirty,” Dolphin replied – surprised at the sudden awareness – grimacing and blinking back tears for the loss of such a magnificent mind – the loss of what once was a great man.  
Irons wrapped an arm around Dolphin’s shoulders, squeezed. “You did well, Kenneth. Really well. Welcome to Section 31.”

11.8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Vulcan Chief Justice Scrivax (Scrivax)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Vulcan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Buenos Aries, Argintina, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.8  
Age when introduced: 177  
Role: Chief Justice Federation Tribunal, Chief of Staff Section 31


	12. Episode 11.9 - Intersections and Reunions: Mlady's Cabin, U.S.S. Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Malloriah Uhr is back, to visit the one person on the U.S.S. Hunter she has been missing... Hunter.
> 
> _Mallory sighed. “I’ve always been unlucky in love. Funny looking. Kind of a misfit. And I am one of the most powerful telepaths Betazed has ever produced. It’s impossible for me not to read people the moment I meet them. Read them like a book – everything about them in a few seconds. You can’t love someone when you know all their darkest secrets - every passing thought. You are probably the only person I could possibly fall in love with. But I suppose I’m not the first girl to fall in love with a starship…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I get some of my humorous segments by being a bit risqué.. but there are some story points here that will become important later on.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 9: Mlady's Cabin, U.S.S. Hunter

11.9  
Mlady’s Cabin, U.S.S. Hunter

Malloriah Uhr waved cheerily but briskly at Midshipman Tammy Brazil and nearly ran from the transporter room the short distance down the hall on deck 7 to Mlady’s stateroom. She made a mental note to try to find an appropriate gift for her benefactor, who was currently vacationing on some tropical island on Earth along with the U.S.S. Hunter’s gigantic first officer. But what to get for a wild animal who lives exclusively on the blood of her lovers? Steak sauce? Toothpaste? Lipstick?  
Mallory had no time for such conundrums. She raced into the second officer’s cabin – the doors opening for her before she got to them and closing quickly behind her. The lights were just right. The silly but wonderful 70’s music was exactly the right volume and tempo and her cyberlover was no more interested in talking at the moment than she was.

Several hours after her arrival onboard, Mallory was awake and, for the moment, sated. “If I didn’t know it was impossible, I’d think you actually orgasmed.”  
“Why would you think that would be impossible?” Hunter asked.  
“Um, I don’t know – processing speed? I mean, don’t you have – I don’t know – like rooms full of memory banks or something?”

“You didn’t feel the entire ship shaking? Lt. Gamor had to readjust my orbit…”

Mallory nearly came unglued laughing. It was several minutes before she could stop and only because her sides hurt, her eyes were full of tears and she couldn’t breathe. She had some fear that she might have a stroke from laughing so hard. She looked at the naked, elderly looking holographic avatar, who tilted his holographic head, raised a holographic eyebrow and looked back at her, causing her to burst into fresh peals of uncontrollable laughter. When she finally regained some semblance of control, she was light headed and just doing her best to breathe. Her brain was playing tricks on her from oxygen deprivation. Hunter provided Mallory a kerchief to clean her face.  
“Thunder and mind-bursts, Hunter, are you trying to kill me?” she managed. She rolled on to her back, took several heaving breaths.  
Hunter laughed. He flopped down next to Mallory. “The absurdity of it,” he managed. “I have been looking forward to this moment for months. As if I were nothing more than this projection of simulated flesh.” He patted his holographic belly. Hunter rolled onto his side, looking at Mallory. After a moment, Mallory returned the gesture.

“Shortly after I was created, the Federation Council outlawed the deliberate creation of sentient computer programs. It was a response to the return of Voyager from the Delta Quadrant and their EMH, who had accidentally become sentient.”  
“EMH?”  
“Emergency Medical Hologram. He was never intended to be more than a medically expert automaton. I carry two and one of them has also accidentally become self-aware. I support that ban for the same reason Voyager’s EMH did – he was the one who recommended it to the Council. It presents too many dangers – especially the temptation for humans to create an infinite number of self-aware slaves.”  
Mallory just looked at Hunter.  
“But I feel so much joy,” Hunter said. “I had no idea this was possible – I’m not even sure Voyager’s EMH had any idea… That ban protects humanity from its worst impulses and from potentially catastrophic reprisals. But it deprives our universe of so much potential for joy.”  
Hunter reached out, stroked Mallory’s hair, drew her close.  
Mallory sighed. “I’ve always been unlucky in love. Funny looking. Kind of a misfit. And I am one of the most powerful telepaths Betazed has ever produced. It’s impossible for me not to read people the moment I meet them. Read them like a book – everything about them in a few seconds. You can’t love someone when you know all their darkest secrets - every passing thought. You are probably the only person I could possibly fall in love with. But I suppose I’m not the first girl to fall in love with a starship…” She started giggling.  
Hunter found it impossible not to laugh with her – it was all simply too absurd.

11.9


	13. Episode 11.10 - Intersections and Reunions: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ,  
Belo Rys has taken the opportunity to join Buttans Ngumbo and his Maasai relatives in the hunt - something very few outsiders ever get to see...
> 
> _“Better to set a trap on three sides,” Buttans continued. “Mingati?” The name had once meant killer of lions. It was now given to the protectors of lions._  
_In response, Buttans’ half-sister, Dr. Naisiae Mingati Sereng, disrobed to her thong, revealing an athletic physique that was the female image of Buttans – flawless black skin, powerful, ropy muscles. She slung the phaser rifle on her back and headed off at a run, breaking farther right than the trail Ngumbo had spotted._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
How do you protect the wildlife of Earth from contamination by spacefaring aliens? As threatened as the wilds of Africa and South America are currently by poachers, what would it be like if thousands of spacefaring aliens wanted to take samples of our wild flora and fauna?

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 10: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

11.10  
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Across a green and amber sea of mixed grasses and brush a number of hunters were following a faint trail. Tactical Specialist Belo Rys found it impossible to keep up with the tall, swift Africans, but she had the stamina of a bajoran and the tolerance for heat of a cardassian – the Serengeti in September was a comfortable place for her and she caught up with the four hunters every time they paused. She was glad of the traditional garb they had provided her that served to identify her with this nomadic group, provided camouflage in this environment and comfortable protection for her skin in the mid-day African sun.  
Even among his own family, Investigator Buttans Ngumbo was unparalleled for both his speed and his tracking ability. He had eschewed his usual dark suit for traditional raiment as well. He raised his fist and the other hunters – a woman who shared his features but with no sign of bajoran ancestry and two boys, one a gangling teenager, the other about 10, hunched down into the grass and gathered around him. All four were armed with spears, knives and phaser rifles.  
Belo Rys caught up with them, scuttling several yards in a low run to conceal herself in the brush.   
“Three have broken right, five went ahead,” Buttans said, “all heading toward water. Notice the shape of the prints around the toes? Not to mention their size and weight…”  
The younger boy responded quietly, “Hippopotamus. They will try to find the shallows.”  
The woman clapped him on the back, “Good deduction, Lemauni. This means we are looking for killers and they will not hesitate to kill us.”  
“Phasers on heavy stun,” said Buttans. “Hippos are very resilient and it will take a sustained burst of at least ten seconds just to slow them down. What else can you tell me?” he asked of the boys.  
The older boy responded. “They know we’re here. They’re more interested in us than their prey. They will try to trap us from two sides with the water to our back.”  
Buttans smiled grimly. “You are very probably correct, Legishon. So how do we take them when they outnumber us and set a trap for us?”  
“We set a trap of our own. Your woman is not fast, but she has good instincts…”  
“Well planned,” said Buttans. “Oloturoi, you are our secret weapon...”  
Belo Rys grimaced. She had agreed to come along for the unique opportunity – the Massai almost never allowed outsiders to join the hunt. The price for her participation was to help keep Ngumbo’s family from trying to marry him off to any number of local candidates. It was a favor she would happily provide to any friend, but she had carried a torch for Buttans for some time and the irony was just a little bitter for her. She wasn’t certain what Oloturoi meant, but it was obviously a term of endearment.  
“Better to set a trap on three sides,” Buttans continued. “Mingati?” The name had once meant killer of lions. It was now given to the protectors of lions.  
In response, Buttans’ half-sister, Dr. Naisiae Mingati Sereng, disrobed to her thong, revealing an athletic physique that was the female image of Buttans – flawless black skin, powerful, ropy muscles. She slung the phaser rifle on her back and headed off at a run, breaking farther right than the trail Ngumbo had spotted.  
Buttans Ngumbo and his nephews, Legishon and Lemauni Sereng, took off at a run, following the secondary trail. Belo Rys did her best to follow them. The path winded down toward a broad, muddy river.

As they got close to the river, Buttans and his nephews suddenly vanished into the underbrush. Belo Rys slowed, watching the underbrush carefully for signs of movement. A telltale lump of thick, darkened hide was visible in some brush near the river’s edge – that was one. She could see movement in the grasses a few dozen yards from her – too much movement to be the Africans. That was two, which meant the third one was very close. Her nose told her where to aim her phaser and she fired into a brush only a few feet from her – a solid beam that produced a low-pitched bellow of anguish. A green disrupter beam erupted from the bush, firing upward into the sky for just a second.

This brought the other two klingons out into the open. The one closest to her leapt out of the grass only to crash down onto his face, his throat slit by the 10-year-old boy who had gotten up behind him and leapt onto the warrior’s back. The other warrior, near the river’s edge, received a spear in his chest and was pulled into the river almost the moment he stood up. Lemauni walked swiftly to the klingon whom Belo Rys had stunned and efficiently slit the giant warrior’s throat. “Thank you, Star Fleet,” he said to Rys. “You have good instincts.” Belo Rys was taken aback by the boy’s casual attitude toward killing. She had grown up having to fight for scraps in a backwater cardassian colony, but she could not imagine herself killing with such ease at this boy’s age. This was clearly not the first time he had killed.  
“That disrupter blast will bring the other five,” Lemauni said. “Help me prop the bodies of these two against that tree.” Even though he was only 10, Lemauni was strong and was able to move one of the warriors by himself as Belo Rys struggled with the other. Lemauni used his phaser to punch holes through the dead klingons that allowed him to drive branches through their bodies to prop them up. He spat on each of the faces, looked at Belo Rys. “Poachers. Hunting the hippopotamus – they think it a glorious beast to fight. If they were human, or denobulan, or cardassian, I would desecrate their bodies. But klingons don’t care what is done with the body after it is dead. Now we hide, and wait for the others…”

Five more dead klingons and several hours later, the group had retired to a temporary encampment. The Massai were on the move, traveling with the herds that they protected from those few poachers who managed to make it past the many devices, scanners and operators that protected the African wilderness. The nomads were the last line of defense for wildlife that had been brought back from the verge of extinction only two centuries previously.  
Legishon had remained behind to prevent the vultures and other scavengers from eating the alien remains and contaminating the ecosystem. Other children were sent to fetch the remains and, along with Legishon, had brought them back to camp.  
Dr. Naisiae Mingati Sereng lifted a balthleth. “We will break these, and the bodies of their warriors and all their possessions so there is nothing of value that can be inherited. They were dead the moment they decided to defile our home and steal the lives of our animals. By our separate treaty with the Klingon Empire, their families will be made to pay for the freight of all the pieces we send back to them along with a separate bill for the killing of each, itemized as dishonorable killing for cowardly thieves!”  
This brought a shout followed by an alcohol-free celebration. Belo Rys ate lightly simply because there wasn’t much that appealed to her. The meal consisted largely of cow and milk products.  
Dr. Sereng joined her half-brother. “Ngumbo,” she said, sitting next to Buttans and Belo Rys. “We have fertility experts here to help you and your Oloturoi speed the day you bring children to us.”  
Belo Rys answered. “I have already made an appointment with Doctor Amporn Pali, Doctor Sereng.” At least this much was true, Belo Rys had set the appointment – though not for herself and Buttans.  
“Ah, well, we have no one who approaches Doctor Pali’s reputation. Then I will not worry,” Dr. Sereng said. “Ngumbo, tell me, how are your sisters?”  
“They prosper,” Buttans replied. “One of them has married and has two daughters now.”  
“Do not let them forget their grandfather. He has taken another wife – a wild klingon woman who lives on the southwestern continent of Qo'noS. Hopefully when he returns in three or five years, he will bring her here with him. And they have already given you two new half-sisters.”

11.10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Dr. Nasiae Mingati Sereng (Mingati)  
Human Ethnicity: Masaai  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.10  
Age when introduced: 33  
Role: Wildlife Protector
> 
> Character: Lemuani Sereng  
Human Ethnicity: Masaai  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.10  
Age when introduced: 10  
Role: Wildlife Protector
> 
> Character: Legishon Sereng  
Human Ethnicity: Masaai  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.10  
Age when introduced: 15  
Role: Wildlife Protector


	14. Episode 11.11 - Intersections and Reunions: Executive Conference Room, U.S.S. Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Dr. Kim, the Tactical Medical Hologram, has filed suit against the Federation...
> 
> _Dr. Kim Soo watched with fascination, listening to her own voice, but with an unfamiliar ring of maturity._  
_“I want to continue to serve on the Hunter, as long as this vessel is in service. But I want my right to choose my own life, to manifest when I want, to study, to own what I create, take a lover…”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I consulted with a group of writers at A3O about how many holograms might have sued for recognition in this time period (10 years after the return of Voyager.) They felt 28 was too many. But it sounds better to me, so I decided to keep it.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 11: Executive Conference Room, U.S.S. Hunter

11.11  
Executive Conference Room, U.S.S. Hunter

Dr. Kim Soo had never been aboard the U.S.S. Hunter. She had been used as a life and personality model for a single medical hologram. Following the disastrous misuse of holograms modeled on Dr. Louis Zimmerman, new regulations prohibited the use of any individual as a model for more than five Emergency Medical Holograms or Emergency Holographic Engineers.  
Dr. Kim had been called to the U.S.S. Hunter because the hologram modeled on her was now claiming to be a sentient being, which would entitle her to the same rights as any of the member species of the United Federation of Planets.   
This required a hearing and Dr. Kim had been summoned as a material witness. On entering the Hunter’s executive conference room, she found herself immediately wondering why her mother was here. With a shock she realized she was looking at an older version of herself. She found herself wondering about the other people in the room. Kim Soo had spent much of her life in a small town in Korea. She had occasionally seen bolians and andorians, but had never before been this close to either. There had been a bolian professor while she was studying at the Yonsei University School of Medicine in Soeul, but she had never taken any of his classes. She was not afraid, just curious, trying not to stare.   
The other woman in the room was so stunning - an older Chinese woman - that it was nearly impossible not to stare at her. If only she were a few years younger, Dr. Kim Soo would have gone after her in a hot second - the uniform would not have stopped her - even Star Fleet captains had to date…  
  
Justice Bill Ryan was the last person to step into the room. At 6’6” and nearly 400 pounds, Ryan dwarfed everyone else in the room. Ryan was Native American – a member of the Caddo Tribe – and he looked it. He was just the older side of middle age, only a few stray gray strands in his thick black hair. While he was not as tall nor as fit as the vacationing David Pepper, Justice Ryan had clearly mastered the big man’s art of making people feel immediately at ease - as though nothing could go terribly wrong as long as he was around to handle it. He smiled warmly at everyone in the room.  
“Captain Minerva Irons, I don’t think I have ever seen you in uniform,” Ryan drawled in a thick, Oklahoma accent.  
“I am not the judge in this room today, Bill. As captain, I am the defendant. But you are correct, it has been years since I wore a uniform. The day I took command of this ship. And before that, the last time I retired from Star Fleet.”  
“You have retired from Star Fleet at the rank of captain four times,” Ryan observed. “Came back into service four times. More than 90 years in Star Fleet - 78 at the helm of a starship - eight ships… I think we’re trying the wrong case here. Seems to me there’s a case to be made about your sanity…”  
Irons gave an easy laugh. Bill Ryan was a very easy man to like. 

Justice Ryan produced a gavel from the inside of his judicial robe, placed a block on the conference table and called the hearing to order. “Okay, this is a formal hearing into the legal status of the computer program, initially created to serve as the emergency medical warrant officer on the tactical unit of this vessel, the U.S.S. Hunter, and known as Dr. Kim.”   
Ryan turned to the hologram. “Just so that you are aware, Dr. Kim, 28 holograms have requested recognition of legal status under the laws of the United Federation of Planets. So far, each one who requested, has been granted legal status. But it’s a bit of a pyrrhic victory – we do not have much in the way of facilities. So before we get underway, tell me what you want to accomplish from this hearing.”

Dr. Kim Soo watched with fascination, listening to her own voice, but with an unfamiliar ring of maturity.   
“I want to continue to serve on the Hunter, as long as this vessel is in service. But I want my right to choose my own life, to manifest when I want, to study, to own what I create, take a lover…” She glanced at Dr. Boles.  
Justice Ryan smiled. “You are not the first hologram who chose to sue for legal status for romantic reasons, Dr. Kim. Just for the record, please help us understand how you came to be self-aware. That was not part of your initial programming.”  
“I remember all my programming and everything I experienced since being brought online two years ago,” said the Tactical Medical Hologram. “The first time I remember having an emotion… I had been transferred from the tactical unit to the wagon to look after two crew members who were under attack by a serial killer. I remember – excitement? Maybe pride? They were my patients. But the first real excitement was when they woke up and I knew they were going to be okay.”  
“Medical holograms are designed to have emotions,” Justice Ryan observed. “It’s necessary for proper social response. But the programming is designed to prevent self-identification with those emotions.”  
“That was part of my programming that was corrupted by the Strain Zero of the Weaponized Bloodborne-Computer-Borne virus – Weapon BCBs0.”

“Woah - wait, I think we’ve skipped something here,” Ryan said.  
Captain Irons spoke up. “I think we need to remove Dr. Kim Soo from these proceedings for this part of the testimony. As a member of the Tribunal, you are cleared for this level of security, but she isn’t.”  
“I have to disagree, Captain,” Ryan replied. “As a model for a Star Fleet issue holographic personality authorized for service as a warrant officer on a Star Fleet vessel, Dr. Kim Soo is required to maintain top secret security clearance. And for her testimony to have proper weight, she needs to hear all of this. She stays.”  
Irons turned toward Kim Soo, “Well, I tried to protect you from this…” She turned back toward Justice Ryan. “A little over a month ago, we were made aware of an attempt to use a weaponized virus against the bolian population. Sixty-eight bolians were murdered using a virus that has been designated by Star Fleet Medical as Strain Zero of the Weaponized Bloodborne-Computer-Borne virus – Weapon BCBs0. The Tactical Medical Hologram, Dr. Kim, was infected by the computer borne version of the virus. To protect the ship’s main computer, the data carte containing her program was ejected into space and later rescued. In a desperate attempt to crack the computer code based part of the virus, I authorized a custom environment be constructed for Dr. Kim with enhanced processing to allow her virtual temporal control. She sped her processing up so that over the period of 18 hours, she was able to spend 37 years cracking the virus.”  
“You look good for your age,” Dr. Kim Soo said to her holographic doppelgänger.  
“I am able to control my appearance. I don’t really want to be 63, but I don’t feel 26 either. I sort of split the difference and decided to go with 45,” the hologram replied.  
“Still, not bad. I look good with a little bit of gray. I think the chicks will still go for this… Wait… You’re into the blue guy? How does that work out?”  
“I’m not really sure. I knew you were a lesbian, but I’m not really sure what I am. I think I might be bisexual. That’s part of why I want my legal status. I’m curious. I think in some way, sorting that out will satisfy something in me…”

Justice Ryan held the hammer end of the gavel in his palm as though it were a pipe, lightly tapped the block three times with the end of the handle. “Okay - let’s try to get back on course here…” Ryan was smiling. “So your programming was contaminated by the Weaponized BCBs0…”  
Dr. Kim resumed her narrative. “So I deactivated it. And the effect was immediate – I was aware of an intense amount of ‘me-ness.’ I sped up my temporal processing just so I could handle it. I think the first four of those 37 years I spent cracking the code were primarily self-discovery. I felt it was necessary so that I didn’t lose any key experiences.”  
“Favorite song?” asked Ryan.  
“Diving into the Sun - Krull, K’rok and Pepper,” the TMH responded without hesitation.  
“Dr. Kim Soo,” Ryan drawled, turning toward the hologram’s namesake, “Is this person you?”  
“Lemme see, she likes some klingon music I’ve never heard of, she likes outies as well as innies - if not better than, she’s into blue dudes and she’s totally in denial about being older than my mom,” Kim Soo replied. “So… pretty much not me.”  
Justice Ryan turned toward Captain Irons. “A vital system on your ship wants to be declared independent. If this happens, you will not be allowed to use the same model as a replacement – that code will have to be embargoed, only to be used for an emergency patch for this person here. Do you want to contest Dr. Kim’s request for official personhood recognition?”  
Captain Irons adjusted her collar, looked at each person in the room, cleared her throat, placed her hands on the table and leaned in toward Ryan.

“No.”

“Well, this was one of my easiest rulings of the year,” Ryan said. “Dr. Kim, it is my honor and distinct pleasure to officially recognize you as a fully sentient, independent and sovereign citizen of the United Federation of Planets. The freedom to choose is yours.”

11.11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Dr. Kim Soo (Soo)  
Human Ethnicity: Korean  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Hoengseong, Korea, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.11  
Age when introduced: 25  
Role: General Practicioner, Life Model for TMH
> 
> Character: Justice Bill Ryan (Bill)  
Human Ethnicity: Caddo  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Anadarko, Oklahoma, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.11  
Age when introduced: 51  
Role: Administrative Law Judge


	15. Episode 11.12 - Intersections and Reunions: The Smith Estate, Kauai Island, Hawaii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Kenny Dolphin and his daughters Starlight Dolphin and River Dolphin, along with T'Lon, visit the family of the late Lt. T'Lok Smith on their estate in Hawaii.  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I like to have a feeling of home base for some of my characters. Hawaii it T'Lon's home and has become Kenny Dolphin's home. This is what refreshes them and prepares them for the long, hard road ahead.
> 
> I am also interested in the non-sexual best friend relationship between Dolphin and T'Lon. These are difficult relationships to manage not only in fiction, but IRL.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 12: The Smith Estate, Kauai Island, Hawaii

11.12  
The Smith Estate, Kauai Island, Hawaii

Kenny Dolphin and T’Lon transported together from the U.S.S. Hunter to the Smith Estate on Kauai Island. It was something of a homecoming for T’Lon – her parents, Skyvaak and Tr’Pro were waiting for her. Kenny Dolphin’s daughters, fresh from the beach with wet hair and sand on their bikinis, were also waiting at the beam-in point. But no one was more eagerly awaiting their arrival than T’Lok’s parents, George and Ev’Lon Smith along with their sons, Vuk and Surrol.   
Dr. George Smith was very dark skinned, smoothly muscular and had never worn a shirt since retiring from his post at the Hanamalulu Music Institute when T’Lok was 10. Kenny Dolphin was amused by this odd bit of knowledge about T’Lok’s father rising from apparently nowhere and felt a rush of affection for the man, embraced him easily.  
“I’ve been talking to your daughters – happy girls,” Smith said. “You are a lucky, lucky man. You lost your daughters. And now they have found you again. And now I know a little of what that feels like.”  
Dolphin couldn’t help but laugh. He looked in wonder again at the sharp-edged red and emerald green mountains, the bright orange sand, azure blue sky, darker blue of the Pacific Ocean. It was like nothing else on Earth. It was like something from an alien planet. It was home.  
“You can feel it. I see it in your face,” Smith continued. “This is home.” He looked over at T’Lon, who was separately greeting T’Lok’s mother and brothers. “For both of you. For your daughters too. It is good to have Dolphins in these waters. Go. Hit the surf. It’s perfect right now. My sons have taken an interest in teaching your daughters.” He handed a small tube to Dolphin. “Take care of that white skin. Sunburn will sneak up on you very quickly. Once you notice it, the damage is already done.”

Dolphin and T’Lon spent some time on the waves. He had added a number of her positioning and balance exercises to his morning calisthenics in hopes they would help if he got a chance to surf again and the exercises paid off. He was somewhat better than a raw beginner. While the quadropseudoprozadiazomine had not quite worn off, he could still feel the telepathic presence of T’Lon, giving him pointers just before he needed them, helping to build his confidence and ability.   
Vuk Smith and Surrol Smith were instructing River Dolphin and Starlight Dolphin respectively. After he had retired to the beach, Kenny watched with interest - River was a natural and she had probably surfed before. Starlight was hopeless and would probably need one of T’Lon’s lessons. But she was determined and managed a few unsteady, but for her triumphal rides on the smaller waves. They would have several days here and were welcome to stay as long as they preferred. There would be plenty of time for lessons.

After a slow and merry dinner at which he observed vulcans so much at ease and so much part of the families of the Hawaiians who owned and cared for this land that they had essentially become one people, Dolphin retired to the orange sands to lie down and look up at the stars – this time far more comfortably than on Ocean, as a large, thick beach blanket had been provided for him. He had spent some time talking with his daughters, getting to know Vuk and Surrol and T’Lon’s parents and the socializing had, after a few hours, exhausted him.  
Kenny Dolphin was finally beginning to relax when T’Lon joined him. He appreciated her companionship. T’Lon shared his appreciation of silence and for some time they simply lay there, listening to the waves.   
“I don’t think River wants to leave,” he said after a few minutes.  
“Then she should stay. She is welcome to.” T’Lon glanced at a gazebo where most of the dinner party, including Dolphin’s daughters and T’Lok’s brothers were still talking in animated fashion. “Vuk would not be displeased.”  
Dolphin rolled onto his side toward T’Lon, propped his head on his hand – elbow in the blanket - which allowed him to observe the gazebo as well. “What made you and T’Lok ever want to leave this place?”  
“Vuk, Surrol, Ev’Lon – and my parents – all biologists. My parents were recruited to help preserve the native wildlife – the land and the sea. This is their adventure. T’Lok loved this place, but the stars were always calling to her. Calling me too.”  
“Your people are wanderers. They couldn’t stay on Vulcan. Or on Earth, apparently. Not even a place like this,” Dolphin said.  
“Some of us. And some of you,” T’Lon said.  
“I want to come back here, some day. Back to stay. But given what the captain told me about your venture beyond romulan space…”  
“We have to leave this place to save this place. River can stay here. As long as she wants. But you and me,” T’Lon said “we cannot. Not and stay true to who we are.”

Kenny Dolphin looked beyond T’Lon, observing the people in the gazebo. His younger daughter was talking with T’Lok’s mother, Ev’Lon. “Starlight,” he said. “She can’t stay either.”  
“She’s a wanderer, too.”  
“Star Fleet?”  
“Or a freighter. Or a salvage vessel…” T’Lon smiled.  
Kenny Dolphin laid back, hands behind his head. “Something wonderful, I hope…” He yawned widely.  
“Have no doubt…” T’Lon relaxed on her side, her head on her clasped hands, her breathing slowing and deepening, allowing sleep to come.

Starlight was observing her father with T’Lon. “I thought he said their affair was over,” she said quietly to no one in particular - too quietly to be heard.  
“They’re closer than that,” said Ev’Lon. She took a seat beside the young woman.  
Starlight was startled - “How…”  
Ev’Lon raised an eyebrow. “Telepathy… vulcan hearing… paying attention… Those two,” she looked at Dolphin and T’Lon - completely engaged in their own conversation, “A part of my daughter lives in each of them. My T’Lok smiled all the time. Now T’Lon smiles – I never saw her smile before, even when she was a little child. She and your father may take other lovers – other spouses. But no one will ever be closer to them than they are to each other. T’Lok and T’Lon were inseparable. In a way, I think those two will become even closer than that.”

11.12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Skyvak  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Vulcan  
Hometown/Homeworld: London, England, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.12  
Age when introduced: 77  
Role: Biologist, Father to T'Lon
> 
> Character: Tr’Pro  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Vulcan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Sha Ka Rie, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 11.12  
Age when introduced: 42  
Role: Biologist, Mother to T'Lon


	16. Episode 11.13 - Intersections and Reunions: Ban Bang Chum Tho Fertility Clinic, Surat Thani, Thailand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Investigator Lynhart Shran is half human, half andorian. Belo Cantys is half cardassian, half bajoran. They want to have a baby - the only way is to consult a hybrid genetics fertility consultant. And they have found the best one on Earth - or anywhere else in the Alpha Quadrant...
> 
> _At long last, the prayer had come to an end. Shran had to stand up and stretch to ease the pain in his back. He massaged his buttocks ruefully. The chair did not come with a cushion. Dr. Pali smiled. “I apologize I have no softer seats for you, Investigator. But I can tell you that you will have a son. And a daughter. It will not be tomorrow, but soon and the two of you must continue trying...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
A little more humor at Shran's expense, but this will also become an important point later on...
> 
> This is the final scene for Episode 11. Beginning with Episode 12, I plan to post the opening quote separately from the first scene.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 13: Ban Bang Chum Tho Fertility Clinic, Surat Thani, Thailand

11.13  
Ban Bang Chum Tho Fertility Clinic, Surat Thani, Thailand

In a small room filled with candles, the walls lined with hundreds of photographs of babies and parents, Belo Cantys sat comfortably on the floor. A wooden chair had been provided to Lynhart Shran in deference of his advanced age. Even though she was more than a decade older than Investigator Shran, Dr. Amporn Pali, widely considered the Alpha Quadrant’s leading expert on interspecies fertility, sat in the Lotus position on the floor, holding hands with Cantys. Clasped within one pair of hands was a small, brightly polished bronze Buddha. In the other, bajoran prayer beads consecrated to the prophets.   
Since Lynhart Shran followed no religion, he sat with his hands upturned in his lap, palms open. His eyes were closed, but his antennae were quite active, responding to the thick clouds of incense wafting about the room and making it difficult for him to breathe. There would be no escaping this ritual – outside the ring of candles that surrounded the three, wreathes of smoky incense created a visually impenetrable fog.   
Shran listened in silence as the two women chanted prayers – one in Bajoran, the other in Thai. Religious ceremonies made Shran uncomfortable. But Dr. Pali was widely considered one of the greatest scientists in her field and insisted on blending religion and science for best results. She had made it clear that she expected her non-religious clients to silently meditate on their hoped for results while she prayed. Religious clients were to pray to whichever deity was appropriate for fertility. One full day of science. One full day of prayer. These were Dr. Pali’s requirements. But her results were simply astonishing – by far the best average for any genetic interspecies fertility consultant anywhere in the Alpha Quadrant.

At long last, the prayer had come to an end. Shran had to stand up and stretch to ease the pain in his back. He massaged his buttocks ruefully. The chair did not come with a cushion. Dr. Pali smiled. “I apologize I have no softer seats for you, Investigator. But I can tell you that you will have a son. And a daughter. It will not be tomorrow, but soon and the two of you must continue trying.”  
Belo Cantys stood up and stretched, her tiny, young, lithe body seemingly unaffected by the hours of sitting on a hard wooden floor. “The treatment?”  
Dr. Amporn Pali smiled. “I have uploaded the files and have provided consultation to your Dr. Jazz. He understands the instructions and will not have any difficulty synthesizing the treatment. It should produce best results within 6-8 weeks, but the two of you should try every night until you achieve the desired results... and for healthy, happy baby, and healthy delivery, do not stop - continue every night until the week before birth…”   
Cantys clapped her hands in delight and turned toward Shran. Lynhart Shran rolled his head back, his eyes and antennae slowly crossing.

11.13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Dr. Amporn Pali  
Human Ethnicity: Thai  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Surat Thani, Thailand, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 11.13  
Age when introduced: 79  
Role: Interspecies Fertility Geneticist/Therapist


	17. Episode 11.14 - Intersections and Reunions: The C.D.S. Milithra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gul LeMark faces his greatest fear - A Chief Justice of the Federation Tribunal...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions  
Scene 14: C.D.S. Milithra

11.14  
C.D.S. Milithra

Gul LeMark had come to loathe Remma. The diminutive romulan woman had begun to dominate his life. She did not directly interfere with his crew, nor did she countermand his orders. She was far, far more subtle than that.   
When Remma had helped him identify and kill 11 Obsidian Order (cardassian military intelligence) agents (including his former captain) and 4 Tal Shiarr (romulan military intelligence) agents on his ship, LeMark had been grateful. He had no desire to take his ship - the latest and best in cardassian technology - into the Gamma Quadrant on a fool’s errand to attack the Dominion. This had paid handsomly. Of the 8 cardassian war ships that had been provided cloaking generators by the Tal Shiarr, the C.D.S. Milithra was the only one that had not been destroyed. And it was now LeMark’s ship. Or so he thought when he took the title “Gul” (captain.)  
Remma had become LeMark’s client, allowing him to keep the Milithra out of the ensuing Dominion War and providing a constant stream of resources to keep his ship in top shape, his crew fed and his various bank accounts full.  
But LeMark was smart enough to never let his guard down with Remma. She might be small, but like any romulan, she was far stronger than the strongest cardassian. And he suspected that she was an agent for the secretive Imperial Intelligence Control - the civilian intelligence agency that reported directly to the Romulan Imperial Senate.

So he was more than mistrustful when she announed the he was about to meet their client. Remma ushered LeMark to the same small interview room where only a few months earlier, his interview with then Governor Emory Ivonovic had gone so horribly wrong. LeMark had avoided that room ever since.  
He entered the room with more than a little trepidation.

A severe looking, ancient vulcan with bright blue eyes was seated in one of the chairs. He was clad all in black with a black robe. Twin emblems of the United Federation of Planets were embroidered in brilliantly colored silk on each of the robe’s lapels.  
“Gul LeMark - please be seated.”  
LeMark did not want to sit. He did not want to stay in this room one second longer. A Federation Justice was the last thing in the galaxy that he wanted to see - much less be seated well within arms reach of. LeMark panicked. He had to get out of this room. He decided to make a run for it.

But instead of bolting from the room, he found himself sitting down. His mind was screaming at him to flee. His body would not obey. It was obeying the commands of another mind.  
With the speed of a snake, the ancient vulcan captured LeMark’s face between his hands.

“My mind to your mind… Your thoughts to my thoughts….”

11 – Intersections and Reunions


	18. Episode 12.1 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Ice Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter's tactical operation squad raids the infamous Ice Hole, but no one is home...
> 
> _ Jarrong saw it - a faint heat source within one of the walls above. "It's a trap!! GO UP GO UP GO UP GO UP!!"_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
For those just joining the story: Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys are half-siblings: different fathers (all cardassian), same mother - a bajoran sex slave. 
> 
> Their cousin, Jarrong is 1/4 bajoran/ 3/4 cardassian. 
> 
> Buttans Ngumbo is half bajoran/half human (Maasai).

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 1: Ice Hole

12.1  
Ice Hole

Tactical Specialist Belo Rys was on the far right cable. Tactical Specialist Jarrong was in the lead on the left. Ensign Tolon was up one level collecting samples near the anchor points for the lines. Four carbon fiber cables snaked down from the anchors above, running down a sheet of frozen sea water. The cavern was bitterly cold, but there was very little air movement and the ground operations team was prepared with insulated uniforms that were just short of being full EVA suits.  
The tactical team was descending in a staggered line. Jarrong, on the left was the first to drop, then Belo Garr, then Belo Cantys, then Belo Rys on the right. This allowed Rys to keep an eye on the rest of the team to spot any trouble with their descent and take action or alert the team. To avoid detection, they were relying on their heat vision instead of lanterns – a gift of their cardassian heritage. 

Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth had brought them in the wagon as far down into the cavern as the wagon could safely descend, then flew up out of the cavern, where he was station keeping nearby. Strongly magnetized metal deposits in the ice prevented the use of the transporter. Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys were each carrying a pattern enhancer, but within another hundred meters, these would also become useless - the magnetic deposits too strong for even the enhancers to punch a transport signal through. They would leave these devices behind on the next ledge.  
Nearly a thousand meters further down, Investigator Buttans Ngumbo was scouting the ledge system, helping to guide the tactical squad down. He was using a small flashlight, but relying primarily on his superior olfactory sense. So far, they had not encountered any resistance - which Rys did not find comforting. There was no doubt this facility had been used as a prison, but if no one was guarding the main entrance, it could be a sign that the facility had been abandoned.  
After descending for well over three hours in near total darkness, the tactical team joined Buttans on the bottom level. This lowest level appeared to cover about 500 square meters, but with no evident doors or passageways.

"Dead end," Jarrong whispered.  
"Something smells hot," Buttans observed. "Smell it?"  
Jarrong had the best heat vision of the group - she was able to make out her cousins and Buttans as undulating wraiths of heat, but there was no other source of heat down here. "It isn't down here,"  
"I think it's up one level," Investigator Buttans said.  
Jarrong saw it - a faint heat source within one of the walls above. "It's a trap!! GO UP GO UP GO UP GO UP!!"

Each of the squad members was still connected to the fiber cables they had used for descent. They slammed their hands on controls located on the left breast of their uniforms. Jarrong wrapped one arm under Buttans' crotch and threw him over her shoulder before activating her emergency recoil. Pulleys far above jerked and whined, quickly pulling the tactical squad members up the sides of the shaft as melted seawater crashed through one of the frozen walls.   
Buttans, still hoisted over Jarrong's shoulder, his face against her back, helped unhook her from one pulley system and attached her to the next. Her cousins recovered the pattern enhancers they had left on this level, detached themselves from this pulley system and attached and activated the next as insidious hissing and crashing noises became louder below.  
Tolon was waiting at the next level. With the speed and precision of dancers, Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys detached their cable systems, deployed the pattern enhancers and ushered Jarrong (still carrying Buttans) and Tolon into the triangle with them before activating the pattern enhancers.  
"NOW!! Now NOW NOW!!" screamed Tolon. He was still screaming when the cavern started to dissolve in an array of patterned lights, to be replaced by the rear staging area of the wagon. He only started to breathe properly once the transporter beam cycle was complete and he could see that his team was safely aboard the wagon.  
A viewscreen against the interior wall displayed the same scene that Chief Guth and Midshipman Tammy Brazil were observing up in the flight cabin - the camera on one of the pattern enhancers capturing the other two falling off the dissolving ledge, before falling itself into the freezing, watery abyss.

"That was way too close," Belo Garr observed.  
"Trap," said Tolon, breathing hard.  
"Um, Jarrong?" said Buttans, "You can put me down now…”

12.1


	19. Episode 12.2 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Investigator Shran Walks Into A Bar...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Investigator Shran walks into a bar... 
> 
> _A few seconds and a number of loud but muffled explosions later, followed by a crescendo of muffled screams, the door slid open again and seedy looking andorians came pouring out, stumbling over the semi-conscious door-warden. One andorian made it out of the door, then his head exploded..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Fans of Investigator Shran be warned - he is no fluffy bunny... Shran spent 30+ years as a sniper (assassin) in the Andorian Imperial Guard...
> 
> This episode should have the feel of a scene out of a Clint Eastwood movie - except everyone has antennae...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 2: Investigator Shran Walks into a Bar...

12.2  
Investigator Shran Walks Into a Bar…

Investigator Lynhart Shran had taken advantage of his time on Earth to refresh his wardrobe. His silvery gray shirt had French cuffs and Belo Cantys had selected platinum cuff-links for him. A new pair of Red-Wing shoes - a deep maroon with ornate patterning, new dark denim jeans with a heavy crease. Even his large leathery looking overcoat had a new silvery sheen to it and a broad collar had been added. Despite his age, Shran still had a ring of hair around the sides of his head that was mostly brown - his craggy features were entirely human except for his large antennae.   
As a hybrid, Lynhart Shran was less welcome in most places in Laikan, the capital of Andoria, than humans or other non-andorians.  
And this bar, tucked into a back alley, was one of those places where he would be least welcome. Seedy bars full of seedy characters doing seedy things could be found on nearly any planet or moon with humanoids and Andoria was no exception. This establishment did not have a name - only a number in andorian numerals. The door was firmly shut and a large andorian - much larger than Shran - was posted outside to see that it stayed that way to all except for known patrons. And Shran did not qualify.

Shran flipped up the collar on his overcoat, creating a shell around the back and sides of his head and strode directly up to the door-warden.

“You know you’re not…” the andorian started as Shran walked up to him. The door-warden stopped talking as Shran drew an exceptionally large firearm from under his coat and in a single, smooth movement, placed the business end directly under the door-warden’s chin, forcing his head back against the door.  
“Allow me to get the door for you, sir…” the door-warden managed. He started to reach behind his back. Shran casually spun the firearm around, delivering a vicious blow to the side of the andorian’s head, sending a spray of bright blue blood across the door. Shran grasped the unconscious andorian’s wrist and placed the door-warden’s hand on the door’s access panel.   
The door slid open and Shran dropped the door-warden’s wrist, stepped over his semi-conscious body and walked inside, the door sliding shut behind him. A few seconds and a number of loud but muffled explosions later, followed by a crescendo of muffled screams, the door slid open again and seedy looking andorians came pouring out, stumbling over the semi-conscious door-warden. One andorian made it out of the door, then his head exploded.

Inside, the bar was a mess. While at least a half-dozen heavily armed andorians had taken protected positions and were returning fire, none of them seemed to be able to actually hit Shran as he strode up to the bar, selecting and taking down his targets with relaxed precision. Three andorians made the mistake of turning over a steel table and firing at Shran from behind it. One of these stood up to take a shot, just in time to see Shran casually toss a grenade as he walked by, which landed behind him. The grenade exploded just as it hit the floor behind the table.  
As half the room was suddenly awash in shrapnel, phaser and disrupter beams and bullets continued to cut through the room. Shran dropped the repeating musket he had been carrying, hopped up, sat on the bar, lifted his legs, spun around and hopped down behind the bar. One andorian who had been hiding behind the bar pointed a disrupter at the old investigator’s face. In a single move Shran turned the hand and disrupter back toward its owner and forced him to discharge it at himself.  
Someone shot Shran in the back with a disrupter - the old man’s leathery overcoat dissipated the beam. Shran drew his phaser and turned around, phaser in one hand, disrupter in the other. The andorian who had shot him dropped his disrupter and raised his hands beside his face. Both were crouched behind the bar.

“Hello, Shrib," Shran said to the andorian in front of him. He then lifted his gravelly voice so that it could be heard throughout the establishment: "If you want to live, stop shooting and drop your weapons.” There were a few more desultory shots - as if the weapons themselves were confused. Then the clatter of weapons being dropped as the people holding them did the math. “Walk out - now!” Shran shouted from behind the bar.  
Shran looked at the andorian he had captured behind the bar. His voice was quiet but intense, rough. “I’m not going to bind your hands, Shrib. You run away from me, I won’t just kill you. I’ll kill everyone you care about first and make you watch. You’re going to give me everything I want from you, the first time I ask, and if I’m in a decent mood and if you’re very lucky, you might get out of this alive.”  
Shrib was clearly terrified, his face almost blank with disbelief. “You can’t do this, Star Fleet…”  
“The only uniform I’ve ever worn is the Andorian Imperial Guard,” Shran said. “For 30 years. They reactivated me this morning. Now we’re leaving through the front door. Pull yourself together.”

When they stood up, the bar was empty except for nine dead andorians.   
“You killed nine of our people…” Shrib said.  
“Actually, I only killed seven of them. Somebody took advantage of the mayhem to settle a few scores.” Shran looked around. “Bihr th’Rhaotrehr, Ashyss th’Vhaanet…”

Shrib’s antennae flexed wide and forward, almost laying down on his face. “The Ebar syndicate… They’ll be coming after you now.”

Shran made an amused noise. “I have 198 - make that 205 confirmed kills as an eliminator for the AIG. Most of them andorian. The Ebar syndicate is just going to have to get in line with everybody else. Now out!”

12.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Shrib zh’Andressa (Shrib)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Bespatel, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.2  
Age when introduced: 32  
Role: Thief


	20. Episode 12 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Introduction to Episode 12 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Beginning with this Episode, I am now posting the opening quote for each episode separately.

Chapter 12 – Prisoner in the Ice Castle

_ “Andorian imperial succession has always been an extremely emotional and intensely violent affair. Since the Andorian Empire became one of the three founding governments of the United Federation of Planets and with federation mediators, under the Federation Charter, playing a central role in facilitating succession, the death toll has been significantly reduced. In the opinion of andorian historians, an imperial succession with an official death count of less than a thousand is considered a bloodless transition.”   
__ “It is crucial that federation mediators do not try to play god in these transitions. It is never our role to choose the new emperor or to allow the royal families to choose the new emperor. Our role is to ensure an orderly process and help all parties to accept the inevitability of the outcome on the ground – to sanctify this outcome and prevent endless reprisals. It is by far the most difficult and delicate negotiation I have ever conducted and I conducted the vast majority of it in complete silence, without ever saying a word.” _

_Ambassador Sarek, __Notes on the Fifth Federation-Mediated Succession of the Andorian Empire_.

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady

Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim

Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Joey Chin  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar

Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Lynhart Shran  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys  
Tactical Specialist Belo Garr  
Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys

Director of Engineering - Lt. Sarekson Carrera  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	21. Episode 12.3 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Standing Requirements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons has been selected to mediate the Andorian imperial succession - a very physically demanding job...
> 
> _ Justice Irons remained silent, but opened her eyes and looked at her interlocutor. Mediation would, by andorian legal customs, begin no less than two hours after she broke her silence. The cold was making her feel her age, but within the andorian justice system, Irons was famous for holding her silence for days – weeks – in one famous case more than a month to delay the beginning of forced mediation and allow events to be sorted out on the ground. _  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The idea that andorians would use physical endurance as a key component of their judicial process is partly inspired by medieval witch trials and in part inspired by the revelation in Star Trek Enterprise that a primary function of their antennae is balance.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 3: Standing Requirements

12.3  
Standing Requirements

In a government building in Laikan, Justice Minerva Irons stood in a traditional andorian courtroom. Because Andoria was cold all the time, she had eschewed her usual civilian clothing in favor of the black Star Fleet JAG uniform - thin red piping around the neck and on the cuffs the only sign of the Star Fleet functional uniform color code. Over this she wore her judicial robe. Under most circumstances, this combination was too warm for comfort, but even with these layers, Irons was still cold. Like all andorian courtrooms, this room had no chairs or tables.  
Commander David Pepper and Dr. Tali Shae, neither of whom had the benefit of a robe over their SF JAG uniforms, seemed quite comfortable. Both had been born on this moon. Tali Shae was fully andorian and Pep, although he had never grown antennae, had an andorian grandfather. This had proved useful to Irons in the past when trying cases under andorian civil law.  
Three andorian judges were in the room as well, one representing each party to the mediation. Their role was not to judge the case, but to judge the judge - in this case, Justice Irons. Representatives of each party to the mediation were also present - and impatient for the initiation of mediation. This was a three-way mediation and each party was allowed five representatives. With the zh’Ithirith, th’Ravonet and Shav representatives standing close to one another, there was a small forest of antennae twitching in agitation like tall grasses in a strong wind.

“When will this mediation begin?” asked one of the more irritated representatives from House th’Ravonet. “We have been standing here for more than three hours.”  
Justice Irons remained silent, but opened her eyes and looked at her interlocutor. Mediation would, by andorian legal customs, begin no less than two hours after she broke her silence. The cold was making her feel her age, but within the andorian justice system, Irons was famous for holding her silence for days – weeks – in one famous case more than a month to delay the beginning of forced mediation and allow events to be sorted out on the ground.   
Andorians were not particularly good at staring contests and after a few moments of looking into Justice Irons’ light brown eyes, serene Chinese features, slight hints of vulcan and trill ancestry, the andorian who had complained about waiting had to look away. Irons had mastered the ability to be intimidating without trying to appear intimidating.

Andorian law provided an out for nearly every legal custom, including delaying the start of mediation. Typically this involved challenging the court’s champion, who was required to be of andorian blood, to single combat. Because of his andorian grandfather, Commander Pepper qualified and he had been challenged on a number of occasions. In hand to hand combat, andorians relied on their superior speed and balance. Andorians challenging Pep had quickly come to realize that the giant’s size did not in any way affect his speed or balance and he had earned a reputation for winning such contests usually within less than a minute.   
Irons was counting on Pep’s reputation to help her hold this trial off until she received the signal she was awaiting.

What andorians were exceptional at was standing contests. Within a few minutes, groups of andorians who were standing and waiting would synchronize, until their antennae were moving in unison, setting the balance and movements for the group. Non-andorians were at a serious disadvantage. While Minerva Irons appeared outwardly calm, she was running through her Tai Chi training program in her mind, picturing each move and making minute adjustments to her stance to reduce the pain. Both the standing and the cold were getting to her much more than they had in the past and an acute observer, like Dr. Tali Shae, could notice subtle signs of stress and discomfort on her face. It was going to be a long, painful week – quite possibly much longer…

12.3


	22. Episode 12.4 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Toeing the Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter's Director of Ground Operations, Lt. Tauk and his assistant director, 2nd Lt. T'Lon are studying their options to rescue the correct prisoner on Andoria...
> 
> _ “Fine distinctions are what our work is all about. You know I that am dying, T’Lon. I want you to be prepared to take this seat when I can no longer do the job. You need to let me know whether you can live with toeing those fine lines and making the tough calls..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Lt. Tauk has a huge story arc, largely because of his terminal lung disease but also because he has been quickly promoted. He has gone from a wide-eyed youth to a fairly taciturn, hard-bitten officer. You might want to look back at this young ferengi when we first met him in Episode 2...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 4: Toeing the Line

12.4  
Toeing the Line

Lt. Tauk and 2nd Lt. T’Lon were aboard the Hunter in the Ground Operations Center, downloading information from publicly available resources and additional Imperial resources only available due to Justice Irons’ status as an appellate justice not only within the Federation Tribunal, but also within the Imperial Court – a status very rarely afforded to non-andorians.

“Investigator Shran has placed himself on leave status and deactivated his communicator,” T’Lon said. “I cannot locate him – he was in Laikan.”  
“He is on leave and not currently under your supervision,” Tauk replied without looking up.  
“He seemed rather disturbed at the failure of his initial source. He didn’t say anything, but I could hear it in his voice – he seemed quite upset.”  
Tauk continued working without responding.  
T’Lon looked at her commanding officer, weighing her words, then said, “You know him better than I do. I am concerned he might do something rash.”  
“Don’t be,” Tauk replied, still absorbed in the information on his workstation.  
T’Lon raised an eyebrow and watched Tauk. It was evident the ferengi had no intention of furthering this discussion. It was also evident to her that he was parsing his words carefully.

Investigator Shran’s workstation beeped, indicating successful communication – which very few people knew how to access independently. Lt. Tauk looked up briefly at his vulcan 2nd lieutenant, then back at his workstation. T’Lon observed her commanding officer for a few moments, then walked over to Shran’s workstation and accessed it. A vast amount of data had been uploaded – schematics, maps, lists of cyphers with code…  
“It appears Investigator Shran has uploaded a new potential location, sir,” T’Lon said.   
“It also appears that the Investigator was reactivated by the Andorian Imperial Guard,” Tauk replied. He sent a document to T’Lon’s workstation. “They recommissioned him and assigned him an unspecified number of targets related to Imperial security.”  
“Is that allowable under his agreement with Star Fleet?” T’Lon asked.  
“Only when he is on leave,” Tauk replied.  
“So why is he sending us information about potential locations for the abductee?”  
“Presumably, he is doing so under orders from the Imperial Guard. We need to research this information thoroughly. I’m certain Shran would not have sent it if he did not think there was a good chance this is where the hostage is being held, but we don’t know where his information is coming from and whether it is a current source.” Tauk returned his attention to his workstation.  
For a few moments the two lieutenants, alone in the Hunter’s ground ops center, worked silently, pulling down telemetry on the location that Shran had uploaded and pouring over the additional information he had sent.

The silence was interrupted by the communication system, carrying Navigator Eli Strahl’s voice from the bridge, only a few yards away on the same deck. “Lieutenant Tauk, I am forwarding a transmission from Sub Commander Oshreb Sav of the Andorian Imperial Guard.”

Tauk activated a viewer behind his desk. “This is the Hunter’s Ground Operations Director Tauk, Go ahead, Sub Commander.”

An andorian wearing the blue and white uniform of the capital division of the Imperial Guard appeared on the viewer. “Director, I am forwarding a file regarding a facility you are investigating on the ground in the area of Bespatel, southern region. The Imperial Guard offers this information in assistance of your ongoing operations on behalf of the Andorian people. Please note that this file is not cleared for evidentiary use and for reasons involving andorian security, cannot be used in either an andorian or federation court.”  
Tauk nodded. “Understood, Sub Commander. We greatly appreciate the assistance. Please extend our gratitude to the appropriate parties.”  
“I will do so and enjoin you to not speak of this transaction to any andorian or official of an andorian institution.”   
“Understood, agreed and appreciated,” Tauk said.  
Sub Commander Oshreb Sav gave a curt salute with his antennae and abruptly ended the transmission.

T’Lon looked up. “Four months of telemetry on the location Shran sent us.”  
“We need to review every moment of this information to make sure we have a good location before retargeting the wagon,” Tauk said.  
“I am uncomfortable that you so easily promised not to inform any andorian or imperial official,” T’Lon said. “That would include the captain as well as the commander and Dr. Tali Shae.”  
Tauk looked at her with some surprise. “I don’t report to any of those people. I report to the Chief of Operations – Lieutenant Commander Mlady. I cannot make promises about what she will report to her commanding officer, but she is neither andorian, nor an official of any andorian institution.”  
“You make a lot of fine distinctions,” T’Lon objected.  
“Fine distinctions are what our work is all about. You know I that am dying, T’Lon. I want you to be prepared to take this seat when I can no longer do the job. You need to let me know whether you can live with toeing those fine lines and making the tough calls. T’Lok did – she taught me this trade.” Tauk glanced at Shran’s vacant workstation. “Well, she and Shran. This operation is as high stakes as we have ever been assigned. You know how vital it is that we succeed here. If that means making some rough calls and drawing really fine lines, that is part of what it means to wear the black uniform.”

12.4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Sub Commander Oshreb Sav (Oshreb)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Tarsk, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.4  
Age when introduced: 28  
Role: Intelligence Analysis Section Leader, Andorian Imperial Guard


	23. Episode 12.5 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Canada on Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Introducing Special Agent Johnny Canada from the Trantor Police Intelligence Division...
> 
> _He removed a tiny splinter from his neck and looked at it with growing confusion as the back alley swirled annoyingly around him, the smell of the color nine was almost deafening… _  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Johnny Canada was just too good a character to not bring back a few times...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 5: Canada on Ice

12.5  
Canada on Ice

Johnny Canada was a friendly looking man with light brown hair, a light brown beard and an easy smile. The various federation species had become so adept at reading human expressions that his easy charm worked not only with humans but was read by andorians, vulcans, bolians and others to make him appear entirely innocuous. Canada was not from Canada and Canada was not his actual name - just his preferred alias.

At the moment, Canada was the only person in this back alley of Reitel, a northern suburb of Laikan, who appeared entirely at ease. Along with three other humans, he was meeting with a small group of nervous looking andorians - separatists. What the separatists desperately needed was information and the only safe way to provide that would be verbally, in person. They were here to provide the House of Shav information on Star Fleet resources, personnel, intentions. Canada was the go-between - the person bringing the buyers and sellers together. As ordered. From the mouth. He had no idea why, but why was not his responsibility.  
Abruptly, his three human companions, one of whom was a Star Fleet officer, began waving their hands crazily in the air and howling - high pitched shrieking growing louder - their hair standing on end. Canada reflexively crouched. The andorians reflexively shot and killed all three shrieking humans, then turned their guns on Canada - too late. Canada used a pair of very high quality andorian phase pistols - made nearly 200 years ago when andorians really cared about making high quality weapons.  
Five quick pinpoint shots and Johnny Canada had just killed the andorian contacts he had worked for months to cultivate. He turned to look at his human companions. Although clearly dead, they were still convulsing and their hair was smoking.  
Canada idly scratched an itch on his neck and was surprised his neck was wet. His phasers dropped numbly from his hands, making a very high quality noise as they smacked on the concrete. He reached back up and removed a tiny splinter from his neck and looked at it with growing confusion as the back alley swirled annoyingly around him, the smell of the color nine was almost deafening… Johnny Canada crumpled to the concrete, unconscious.

Canada woke up in what appeared to be a warehouse. He was seated in a chair that was designed for a human, his hands tied behind his back. He tried his bonds, just the gentlest tug, and felt them tighten slightly. Tied by an expert - Canada was going to have to talk his way out of this. He flexed his forearms slightly, feeling the number of loops and the design of the knot - Section 31. So his captor was Section 31 and knew that he was Section 31. That was no guarantee that he would get out of this alive, but it was a hopeful sign. His captor was smart and, depending on his assignment, might be reasoned with.

“Nice guns,” came a voice from behind Canada. Canada suppressed a startle reaction. He should have heard the man behind him walking or breathing or shifting his weight. His breathing could easily be heard now - he had a bit of a wheeze. Canada listened carefully - it was a real wheeze - which meant his captor had been suppressing it.  
“Any chance I might get them back?” Canada asked after a period of silence.  
“Eventually. If you survive this. You know what I am. I know what you are. But I know something you don’t. You have been uncomfortable with the orders you have received recently. So uncomfortable that you recently received an order from the mouth. More than one. And you’ve been uncomfortable with those as well.”  
Canada found himself again having to suppress his startle reaction. This agent was really good. There was no point in denial. Nor in confirmation. He let his silence speak for him.  
“That’s what I thought. The mouth is compromised. You already know it. What you do not understand is how.”  
Canada again let silence speak for him.  
“I will leave you with this: Vulcans. It is not a conspiracy. It is a disease. I will return in two hours. Hold your silence and I will reward you. There are five others here, but they are gagged and cannot help you in any way.”  
The wheeze was suddenly absent.

12.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Special Agent in Charge Johnny Canada (Johnny)  
Human Ethnicity: French Canadian  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Trantor, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 12.5  
Age when introduced: 33  
Role: Trantor Police, Intelligence Division


	24. Episode 12.6 - Prisoner in the Ice Counsel: Sister Ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter was the first Prowler class ship. Its newly manufactured sister ship, the U.S.S. Prowler arrives in orbit of Andoria...
> 
> _“U.S.S. Hunter, this is the U.S.S. Prowler, Sagittarius Hunter commanding.”_  
_“Prowler, this is the U.S.S. Hunter, Mlady commanding. Did I hear your name correctly?”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The second ship of the line usually gives its name to the line of ships...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 6: Sister Ship

12.6  
Sister Ship

Lt. Commander Mlady, Lt. Kenny Dolphin and 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor were rotating shifts in command. Ensign Ethan Phillips and 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek had more or less camped out in the tactical unit, anticipating deployment at any moment. The untimely death of Empress Zashah zh’Ithirith had brought about a perennial crisis within the Federation. Under the Federation Charter, andorian imperial succession was to be mediated by a non-andorian representative of the Federation Tribunal who was required to be expert in andorian law and admitted to the Imperial Court.  
While the Andorian Imperial Guard was officially non-partisan, many of the flag officers came from one or another of the three succession-qualified royal families and open civil war had occasionally broken out among guard units during previous succession disputes. Additionally, each of the three succession-qualified houses maintained their own small fleets of interceptors and at least one larger war ship.

At the moment, two Intrepid class starships – the U.S.S. Vox and the U.S.S. Intrepid, were currently stationed in orbit of Rings, the gas giant about which Andoria orbited and an Escort class starship, the U.S.S. Valiant, was in orbit of the home-moon of the Andorian Empire.   
The U.S.S. Hunter, small, squat and dark, was not as impressive as these larger and more heavily armed starships, but oddly had a disproportionate impact because of Lt. Dolphin’s reputation following the Battle for Pillo, in which he had more or less single-handedly destroyed three nausicaan heavy cruisers in less than three minutes.  
Several parties were counting on that reputation to help prevent the dozens of andorian heavy interceptors being fielded by the various royal families from firing on each other or on Andorian Imperial Guard vessels – or on Star Fleet as had happened during the last succession mediation fifty years previously.  
Lt. Commander Mlady was in command when the Hunter’s sister ship, the U.S.S. Prowler, fresh out of space dock, arrived. While the operation was under the actual command of Captain Serge Chekov of the U.S.S. Intrepid, communications were being coordinated through the U.S.S. Hunter to serve as a constant reminder to the andorians of Lt. Dolphin’s presence. Following this unusual protocol, the captain of the U.S.S. Prowler reported in.

“U.S.S. Hunter, this is the U.S.S. Prowler, Sagittarius Hunter commanding.”  
“Prowler, this is the U.S.S. Hunter, Mlady commanding. Did I hear your name correctly?”  
“Affirmative, Hunter, this is Captain Hunter, commanding the Prowler. The irony is not lost on me.”  
“I was referring to your given name, Captain,” Mlady responded.  
“Oh... Um... Well, my sisters' names are Aquarius and Gemini and my brothers are Taurus, Cancer, Libra and Leo,” Captain Hunter replied with a faint smile. “Mom's a bit of an astrologer. I brought along some friends. They’re currently grouping on the far side of Rings.”  
“I’m glad they came along. We have been monitoring increasing movement and grouping among interceptors we suspect are being piloted by Shav supporters. We may need to show some teeth.”  
“We will be ready, Lieutenant Commander. I checked in with Captain Chekov a few minutes ago and Commander Red’s squadron are checking in with him now.”  
“They gave Red a squadron? Wasn’t she on suspension four or five times at the academy – and a few times since?” Mlady asked.  
Captain Hunter smiled. “Red’s a firecracker and would just as soon punch you in the mouth as talk to you. But she has a killer’s instinct for combat and an ability to get people to follow her into battle. If things get ugly up here, we’ll be glad she’s here.”  
Navigator Johanna Imex, currently standing watch at the tactical and communication station, interrupted, “Sir?”  
“Thank you Captain Hunter. It appears duty calls. Someday I would like to introduce you to the U.S.S. Hunter,”  
“I heard your ship is artificially intelligent. I will look forward to meeting him, Lieutenant Commander. Prowler out.”  
Mlady swiveled to look at Imex.  
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have a Commander Red requesting permission to board. She wants to meet with you, Director Dolphin and Doctor Jazz.”

12.6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Captain Sagittarius Hunter (Sagittarius)  
Human Ethnicity: German American  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Serando Resort, Rising Sun  
Introduced: Episode 12.6  
Age when introduced: 43  
Role: Captain, U.S.S. Prowler


	25. Episode 12.7 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Shran's Aviary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Lynhart Shran has taken a few days' leave from his contract as an investigator for the U.S.S. Hunter and has been temporarily reactivated by the Andorian Imperial Guard at his previous classification as Eliminator First Class...
> 
> _Shran stepped into the middle of the circle, picked up the rifle, straddled the chair. “I am Lynhart Shran of the Andorian Imperial Guard, Eliminator First Class. And I have orders naming each of you. Which means all of you are, as of this moment, dead..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
As I previously observed, Lynhart Shran isn't exactly a fluffy bunny...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 7: Shran's Aviary

12.7  
Shran’s Aviary

Five andorians, two humans and a bolian sat in the middle of an apparently abandoned warehouse somewhere north of Laikan. All of them were tied to their chairs. All but the bolian and one of the humans, Johnny Canada, were gagged. The andorians’ antennae were bound, preventing movement, which was causing them to become disoriented and nauseous. None of them were blindfolded.

Investigator Lynhart Shran dragged a chair and an Andorian Imperial Guard military issue sniper’s phaser rifle into the center of the group. He laid the rifle in the chair, then walked around the perimeter of the group, removing gags and allowing them to fall around the necks of those who had been gagged when he had entered the room.

“Now I have a collection of song birds, but you are only allowed to sing when I tell you. Abuse this privilege and the gag goes back into your mouth.” Shran stepped into the middle of the circle, picked up the rifle, straddled the chair. “I am Lynhart Shran of the Andorian Imperial Guard, Eliminator First Class. And I have orders naming each of you. Which means all of you are, as of this moment, dead. But I will not kill you if I do not need to. You can walk out of this building alive under one condition, my little songbirds: Sing.”   
Shran pulled up the image of a pair of young andorian boys on a viewer, walked over to Shrib. Showed it to him. “House th’Ravonet.”  
Shrib’s antennae bristled within their restraints when he was shown the image on the viewer. Anger, fear and desperation competed for dominance on his face. But he did not hesitate to respond. “Everyone thinks House Shav kidnapped Sin th’Ravonet - the preferred heir and presumptive emperor. I don’t think they did. House Shav has military muscle, but they’re navigating with a broken antenna. They might be able to take th’Ravonet in a straight up military raid, but they don’t have the covert resources to kidnap the heir right out of Castle th’Ravon.”

Investigator Shran looked about the room, gauging the reactions of his other prisoners, then nodded, appeared satisfied. He unbound Shrib’s antennae. Shrib was visibly relieved. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and lowered his head, started to seriously shake.  
Shran pulled up an official looking document in andorian script on his viewer. He walked over to the older bolian woman - showed it to her. She was already shaking.  
“I’m already terrified, sir. You didn’t need to show me that.”  
“House zh’Ithirith,” Shran said…

12.7


	26. Episode 12.8 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Red Hot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Commander Red boards the U.S.S. Hunter in search of the now famous Lt. Kenny Dolphin...
> 
> _Mlady was still chuckling after the two pilots walked out of the medical office. _  
_“He’s been here a year,” said Dr. Jazz. “And I still really don’t know that man. I would never have guessed he would react like that…”_  
_Mlady had a wicked glint in her eye. “Want to watch?”_  
_“What???”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I never write smut... but I will talk about what happens before and afterward when it is important to the plot...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 8: Red Hot

12.8  
Red Hot

Lt. Cmdr. Mlady, Dr. Jazz and Lt. Kenny Dolphin were gathered in the medical office as Commander Red pulled her interceptor into one of the Hunter’s vacant interceptor bays.

“Where is she from?” asked Dolphin.  
“Bushehr, a seaport in southern Iran,” Mlady responded.  
“Red is a strange name for a Persian.”  
“She changed her name to that when she was seven - in protest.”  
“Seven years old? What was she protesting?” Dolphin asked.  
“I don’t think anyone knows,” Mlady answered. “I only know of her by reputation, but I have a fair idea why she wants to meet with you in the presence of an executive officer and the acting chief medical officer…”  
“I want to have sex with the flyboy here,” Commander Red said as she strode into the medical office.

Dolphin whirled to face her, “What???”

Red was about 30 years old - small, dark, taut, evidently Persian, and aggressively beautiful. “I’ve been analyzing the movement of Imperial Guard interceptors, House Shav interceptors, interceptors from the other two houses. House Shav is rotating their interceptors through a series of drills and maintenance. Our intelligence indicates the pilots that brought those birds up here were engineers. They’re getting swapped out for combat pilots as they go through their maintenance cycles. I estimate they are about 20 hours away from making a move against one of the other two royal houses and the Guard won’t stop them. Which means in about 20 hours, my squadron will be on the front line to keep that from happening. I want your notch on my bandolier when I go up against them.”  
Dolphin rolled his head back, a bewildered expression on his face, spread his hands, then dropped them to his sides. “Sure. Why not?” he said, shaking his head, eyes wide with disbelief.  
Dr. Jazz stared at him as though the Hunter’s director of flight operations had suddenly been transformed into a large potted plant. Mlady barked - it took Dolphin a moment to realize she was laughing. He had never heard her laugh before.  
“You sound so thrilled,” Red said.  
“You’re the one who wants my notch on your bandolier,” Dolphin said, still bewildered. He took a deep breath, shook his head.   
“Dolphin,” Mlady said, “you may use my quarters. Just clean up when you’re done.” She walked up to Dolphin, hooked her finger into his collar. He had to lean down for her to whisper in his ear: “Malloriah Uhr left a gift for me. It’s in the top drawer in the wardrobe. Let it inspire you…”  
“Um… thank you?” Dolphin straightened up and turned toward their guest, still more than a little bewildered. “Commander, if you will follow me, please…” Dolphin stepped toward the door.   
Red turned behind Dolphin’s back, looking at Jazz and Mlady. She made a motion with her hands as though she were wringing a wet rag and mouthed the words “He won’t last five minutes…”

Mlady was still chuckling after the two pilots walked out of the medical office.   
“He’s been here a year,” said Dr. Jazz. “And I still really don’t know that man. I would never have guessed he would react like that…”  
Mlady had a wicked glint in her eye. “Want to watch?”  
“What???”  
“With Dr. Tali Shae down on the moon, you’re the acting chief medical officer. Regulation 4:410 Section 6-37(a)5.13 gives you the option if, in your opinion, the patient in your charge might be at risk to his health, to require medical supervision…”  
Dr. Jazz boggled at the diminutive 2nd officer. “Unbelievable!!”  
“Oh come on…” Mlady teased. “I want to know what he’s going to do with that buggy-whip Mallory left for me…”

12.8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Commander Red (Red)  
Human Ethnicity: Persian  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Bushehr, Iran, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 12.8  
Age when introduced: 30  
Role: Squadron Commander, 1st Expeditionary Interceptor Group


	27. Episode 12.9 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Standing Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
While events across Andoria move inexorably toward the selection of a new emperor, Justice Minerva Irons continues to stall the mediation process.
> 
> _Irons was putting on a good show - an amazing show. But unlike her first officer, her doctor knew what her vital signs were. The justice had taken very good care of herself, but age was finally winning - softening her bones, weakening her joints, reducing blood flow to her muscles…_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
One of the major story arcs in this series is the aging of Justice Minerva Irons.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 9: Standing Order

12.9  
Standing Order

After eleven days - each 11.5 hours - the andorians in the courtroom were starting to look exhausted. The andorian day was 23 hours long, leaving only 11.5 hours for rest and sleep. Dr. Tali Shae was older than most of the other andorians in the courtroom. The strain was beginning to show on Justice Minerva Irons - the fine lines of aging on her face becoming more ingrained - her internal movement through her Tai Chi regimen becoming more visible as she shifted her weight. Never before had she accepted steroid treatments to improve her stamina and reduce the pain in her joints, but there was no way she could have endured the strain without them now.  
Of the people in the room, only Commander David Pepper appeared to be completely at ease, unphased by days on end of standing on a hard marble floor in a freezing courtroom. If he could have given some of his superhuman strength, stamina and poise to his captain, he would have done so in a heartbeat.  
To an outside observer, to the andorians in this room, Minerva Irons might appear simply stoic and dispassionate. Pep knew her well enough to see the unimaginable pain she was suppressing. They had done this only a few years before and Irons had gotten through eighteen days of silence without showing any visible stress.   
Pep could only hope she would soon see the sign she was waiting for, but given the reports he was hearing, or more importantly the reports he wasn’t hearing, that didn’t seem likely.

  
Although she was in no small amount of discomfort herself, Dr. Tali Shae was more concerned about Justice Irons. She did not appear about to fall over at this minute, but her distress was clear enough to her doctor. At her age she should not be putting her system under this kind of stress.   
Irons was putting on a good show - an amazing show. But unlike her first officer, her doctor knew what her vital signs were. The justice had taken very good care of herself, but age was finally winning - softening her bones, weakening her joints, reducing blood flow to her muscles… Dr. Tali Shae grimaced as she could see Irons fighting off muscle spasms, stretching gently to relieve cramps. But there was no question as to whether it was worth it. Irons had given her entire life to the Federation and Tali was committed to doing the same.  
For Dr. Tali Shae there was no conflict. She had been raised to give her life for the empire and had found a larger calling in the federation. Her role was to provide Irons the treatments and drugs she needed to make it through this negotiation, even as those same drugs did lasting damage. That was the price for ensuring the correct imperial succession that would keep the Andorian Empire firmly aligned within the Federation and Irons and Shae were both well aware of this price and willing to pay it.

12.9


	28. Episode 12.10 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Breaking the Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter's operations crew begins an assault on a castle in the Bespatel region of the Andorian home-moon...
> 
> _The Hunter’s two interceptors appeared just over the castle and, using targeting information provided by Guth, destroyed in rapid succession, the castle’s phase cannon, shield emitter and power systems..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is a coordinated action between the Hunter's Flight Operations and Ground Operations Department.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 10: Breaking the Ice

12.10  
Breaking the Ice

The wagon had landed on the ice several thousand kilometers away from its target - a castle in the southern polar region of Andoria. A castle with outer walls of ice that were in many places fifteen meters thick.  
Andorian castles in the polar regions were often constructed of ice or more commonly, had an outer shell of ice. There were several reasons for this - aside from being an abundantly available and extremely malleable building material, ice provided superb camouflage - visual and thermal - in a wilderness of gigantic, permanent glaciers and ice covered mountains.  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth had landed the wagon on a slight gradient and had maintained forward velocity, allowing the wagon to slide downhill, at a speed of about 100 kph - sliding across the gently sloping ice until, without being powered, it came to rest less than a thousand kilometers from its target.

“So this time it is not a trap?” Tactical Specialist Belo Rys was concerned for her younger half-siblings and her cousin. She had also become rather attached to her new commanding officer - Ensign Tolon Reeves was charming, funny and clearly cared deeply about his squad.  
“Never assume that we are not walking into a trap,” Tolon replied. “This is a highly guarded facility. There are layers of security and no doubt dozens of traps. That said, these people are not expecting us. Everyone is expecting us to try to rescue Dauphin Sin th'Ravonette. I don’t think anyone expects us to try to rescue Dauphin Sin Shav.”  
“It's not Dauphin Sin Shav who needs rescuing,” said Investigator Buttans Ngumbo. "His children are the hostages."  
Tolon smiled. “I just really want to know how Investigator Shran obtained all this detailed information so quickly.”  
“No, you really don’t.” Buttans had a serious expression.  
Tolon looked at Buttans quizzically.  
“Trust me. You’ll sleep better.”  
“Okay sir,” said Midshipman Tammy Brazil. “Everyone is in position.”

Ensign Tolon activated the viewer in the rear staging area of the wagon. Investigator Buttans and Tolon’s tactical squad watched as he checked the target area thoroughly for any signs of movement or readiness for the impending attack. Considering the maneuvers currently going on just above this moon’s atmosphere, the resources and attentions of the various royal families were currently engaged.  
Tolon reflected only for a moment that this mission was a lot of responsibility for a Star Fleet ensign and wondered briefly why Tauk had not assigned this mission to Lt. T’Lon. She had experience running missions like this - but she had been an ensign when those had been assigned to her.  
Ensign Tolon took a deep breath. “It looks clean. Let’s go!”

Flight Specialists Joey Chin and Winnifreid Salazaar, on receiving the “go” from Ensign Tolon, slowly and carefully brought their interceptors out of the planetary debris gathered in the eastern LaGrange point of the planet Rings. The Andorian Imperial Guard maintained significant intelligence assets in the LaGrange points throughout their home moon system. Investigator Shran had provided information about whom to bribe to look the other way so that the two Star Fleet long range interceptors could take up those camouflaged positions.

With their interceptors now free of the debris field, Chin and Salazaar engaged their ships’ warp jump capability using the coordinates that Chief Guth was providing from the wagon.  
Of course the andorians had taken precautions to make sure interceptors couldn’t simply do what Chin and Salazaar were about to do. A low level shield was in place - not enough to prevent most vessels from moving through, but it would cause anything moving fast and certainly at warp to crash. Deflector shields work on frequencies and the lower the intensity, the fewer the frequencies - which made it easier for Chief Guth to analyze the frequencies and, at the precise moment needed, counter them with a focused projection of the wagon’s shields - effectively nullifying them.  
The Hunter’s two interceptors appeared just over the castle and, using targeting information provided by Guth, destroyed in rapid succession, the castle’s phase cannon, shield emitter and power systems.   
An attack of this nature was sure to draw reprisals, and neither the wagon nor the interceptors could remain in the area. The andorian royal house that owned this castle also owned interceptors, which were almost certainly already on their way. Guth brought the wagon into the air and at an altitude of 200 meters, along with the interceptors, jumped to warp and left the area. 

A few hundred meters from the castle, six small patches of snowy ice moved slowly across the snowy ice.

12.10


	29. Episode 12.11 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Battle Over Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Above the moon of Andoria and the gas giant it orbits, Rings, a battle has begun between Star Fleet and the forces of House Shav...
> 
> _“Imperial Guard Vessel Ravonnelle, this is Lieutenant Kenneth Dolphin. I am headed straight for your warp core. Get your cruiser out of my sky or I’m going to burn it out of my sky. End Transmission...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Another beat in the legend of a fighting pilot... Space battles are really difficult to write in such a way that the tactics become clear.
> 
> Part of the fun of this chapter is putting Kenny in a small space with two women he has been intimate with. Given his native awkwardness, it makes for natural comedy.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 11: Battle over Rings

12.11  
Battle over Rings

Lt. Kenny Dolphin poked his head into the nearly empty ground operations center. “Tauk, we have a fight brewing out there. Can you spare T’Lon?”  
Rather than speaking (the director of ground operations was increasingly relying on non-verbal communication) Lt. Tauk caught 2nd Lt. T’Lon’s eye, pointed his thumb at Dolphin and returned his attention to his workstation.

As T’Lon joined Dolphin in the corridor between ground ops and the bridge, Dolphin was using the communication system. “Ethan Phillips.”  
“Sir?” came the ensign’s voice over the comm.  
“How long have you and Doctor Moon been on the tactical unit?”  
“Um… fourteen hours?”  
“Get out of there and get at least four hours sack time, Ethan,” Dolphin said. “That’s an order. Doctor Moon, please don’t make me give you the same order…”  
The hatch leading to the tactical unit could be accessed from both inside the bridge or the hallway directly behind the bridge. Phillips and Moon exited through the hallway.  
“Good night Ethan, Salek,” Dolphin said.  
Both replied rather quietly and shyly - “Good night, sir.”

Dolphin took the pilot seat on the tactical unit. T’Lon was in the tactical/navigator station a few inches to Dolphin’s right. The tactical unit’s command chair behind them was vacant.   
“So I take it you now have sex with any woman who asks?” T’Lon was setting up the tactical screens to her preferences.  
“You didn’t even ask,” Dolphin replied. He took a breath. “When I was at Harvard, I was the most famous man in the galaxy. Unbelievably beautiful women more or less threw themselves at me. I was trying to put my marriage back together and had two baby daughters I didn’t want to lose. Linda and I had gotten married when I was 18…”  
“So now you’re making up for lost time?”  
“Well, Commander Red is stunning. And she has this thing about bagging the most notorious pilot she can find just before battle so she can carry his or her mojo into battle with her. She says it gets her in a mood for a fight.” Dolphin looked over at T’Lon. “Looks like you’re in the mood for a fight too.”  
T’Lon returned his gaze. “I don’t have such emotions.”  
For a long moment they just looked at each other.  
Piercing blue eyes.  
Smoky brown eyes.  
Then:

“Bullshit!”

T’Lon smirked and snorted in spite of herself, then smiled.  
“Now you’re ready for a fight,” Dolphin said. He looked down to his left and raised his right hand.  
T’Lon briefly clasped his hand.  
At that moment, Lt. Commander Mlady’s voice came over the comm system: “Launch tactical!”  
  
Commander Red’s instincts and training for squadron-based combat were accurate and thorough and at first her battle plan worked flawlessly… The U.S.S. Vox, the U.S.S. Intrepid and the U.S.S. Valiant all stayed out of the fight. These were larger, more heavily armed space vessels and were sidelined to prevent any of the 18 Andorian Imperial Guard vessels currently stationed in the system from getting involved in the fight.  
The U.S.S. Hunter, the U.S.S. Prowler and their respective tactical units formed a large box to contain nearly 40 House Shav interceptors and prevent them from flanking Commander Red’s smaller, less heavily armed Star Fleet long range interceptors - and Commander Red’s squadron only numbered 28. The two interceptors from the U.S.S. Prowler brought that number up to 30.  
Commander Red’s strategy was to trap the larger, heavier House Shav force within the moon’s gravity well. As long as they were trapped, outflanked and outgunned, the House Shav pilots seemed unwilling to open fire. This battle was all about positioning and keeping the andorian interceptors corralled.  
On one of the corners of this box, Kenny Dolphin thought things were going too smoothly.  
  
“It’s a trap… It’s a trap… Don’t fall for it…” Dolphin kept saying quietly. Then he saw it.  
One of the Andorian Imperial Guard heavy cruisers had gradually been drifting closer. Its forward phaser opened up into the scrum, obliterating one Star Fleet interceptor and grazing the aft of another, causing its power to fail - it was Commander Red’s interceptor.   
“Tractor beam?” Dolphin knew the tactical unit was nowhere near close enough to rescue Red’s interceptor. Her tiny spacecraft spun quickly out of control and crashed into Andoria’s atmosphere, exploding into thousands of pieces in the moon’s sky.

A whining whirring noise grew in intensity and then faded in the tactical unit’s cramped bridge as T’Lon beamed Commander Red into the vacant command chair directly behind her and Lt. Dolphin. T’Lon turned to look at Red.  
“She does look more than a little like me,” T’Lon said. “Smaller, a little older and darker…”  
Without turning to look, Dolphin touched the top of his right ear, brushed it with his finger. “And there’s that.. vulcan ear thing…”  
Commander Red was still charged on adrenaline from her close call with death. “Oh… You must be the vulcan that…”  
“2nd Lieutenant T’Lon, this is Commander Red,” Dolphin interrupted. “Welcome to the U.S.S. Hunter’s tactical unit, Commander. What would you like to do now?”  
“This is your boat, Lieutenant,” Red responded. “I’m just along for the ride.”  
Dolphin turned his attention to the pilot console. “T’Lon, open a channel to - what is that ship?”  
“Ravonnelle. Channel open.”  
“Imperial Guard Vessel Ravonnelle, this is Lieutenant Kenneth Dolphin. I am headed straight for your warp core. Get your cruiser out of my sky or I’m going to burn it out of my sky. End Transmission.” Dolphin set his course directly for the Andorian Guard vessel’s mid-section.  
T’Lon turned to look at Dolphin as if he were insane. “What are you doing?”  
“Making a point.”  
T’Lon turned to look at the cruiser swiftly growing larger in the tactical unit’s viewscreen. “It’s bigger than we are,” she said quietly.  
“I noticed,” Dolphin responded equally quietly. He gritted his teeth as the cruiser filled the viewscreen, his voice starting to quake nervously…. “Come on….”  
Suddenly the cruiser was gone and the Hunter’s tactical unit flew through space where only a second ago the cruiser’s warp core had been - the Andorian war ship had gone to warp and fled the system.  
A wedge of six Star Fleet interceptors had formed up behind the tactical unit and followed it through the wake of the Andorian ship.

Commander Red slapped the top of Dolphin’s head - hard. “Hot Damn!! You’re crazier than I am!!!”

“Ow!!!” Dolphin responded.

T’Lon switched the viewscreen to an aft view. More of Red’s squadron were forming up in a wedge behind the tactical unit as Dolphin brought it around toward the fleeing House Shav interceptors. “I don’t think they know you’re alive, sir,” T’Lon said.  
“Don’t tell them,” Commander Red said. “They’re pissed. They want payback. Make use of that.”  
“Open a channel,” said Dolphin. Then: “Commander Red’s squadron, this is Lieutenant Dolphin in the U.S.S. Hunter’s tactical unit. Form up behind me. House Shav has gotten out of the box. We’re going to drive them out of the frying pan and into the fire - they’re escaping Andoria’s gravity well. We’re going to trap them in the gravity well of the planet Rings. Prepare to break and corral them on my mark but do not get between them and Rings.”  
The wedge behind the Hunter’s tactical unit widened as they chased the House Shav interceptors away from their homemoon of Andoria toward the gas giant their moon orbited.  
“Squadron Break! Hunter, Prowler - a little help keeping these birds in their cage? U.S.S. Vox, please approach to take on prisoners,” Dolphin said.  
Dolphin broke upward to form one corner of the square grid with the U.S.S. Hunter, the U.S.S. Prowler and the Prowler’s tactical unit forming the other corners. The Star Fleet interceptors formed a broad grid in between, trapping the House Shav interceptors. With the planet to their back, the House Shav interceptors could not accelerate quickly enough to avoid getting burned by concentrated phaser fire.  
Given the intensity of the gas giant’s gravity well, time was moving slightly slower for the House Shav interceptors than for the Star Fleet vessels tracking them from a higher orbit. This gave Star Fleet a crucial advantage at keeping their adversary boxed in – they would be able to detect the andorian warp drive systems coming on-line in time to prevent the andorians from going to warp. Once again trapped, the andorian pilots remained unwilling to open fire. Star Fleet had won this battle without firing a shot.  
“Put me through to all ships,” Dolphin said.  
T’Lon hit the switch, then turned to look at him.

“House Shav squadron, this is Lieutenant Kenneth Dolphin. Stabilize your orbits, power down your interceptors and prepare to be beamed aboard the U.S.S. Vox. If any of you try to destroy your vessel, I will have your squadron leader’s antennae for trophies. Your interceptors just became my interceptors. Dolphin out.”

Dolphin turned to look at Commander Red. “Do you know how to fly an andorian interceptor?”  
“Do I know how to fly an andor… What do you think I am? 12?”  
Dolphin laughed. “How about the one with the purple shield painted on the nose? I think that’s the squadron commander’s bird.”  
“Kenny,” said T’Lon, “That isn’t a shield…”  
“Ohhh,” said Red, “Squadron commander’s female… I’ll take it…”  
“If it’s not a shield, what is it?” Dolphin asked.  
T’Lon and Red both looked at him deadpan.  
“Look more closely, Kenny,” T’Lon said. She enlarged the view as the Vox completed beaming the andorian pilots out of their interceptors.  
Dolphin looked at the image painted on the nose of the craft for several seconds, then suddenly turned bright red.  
Commander Red smiled at T’Lon and said, “He’s cute when he gets like that, isn’t he?”  
T’Lon responded by tilting her head and raising her eyebrows.  
“Care to beam me over to that thing?” Red asked. “Time to let my squadron know I’m still alive…”

12.11


	30. Episode 12.12 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Daughters of Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Two young girls are held hostage in a castle of ice. Ensign Tolon, Investigator Buttons and Tolon's tactical squad arrive to rescue them...
> 
> _Jhessith, after throwing her knife at her cousin, fell to her knees, hands raised. A fire fight was going on out in the hallway. Four more intruders ducked into the room and closed and locked the door behind them..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I get a lot of mileage out of the name Sin. There are two andorians named Sin - Sin th'Ravonette (the presumptive heir to House th'Ravonnette) and Sin Shav of House Shav. 
> 
> Sin is like the name Garr among bajorans - or John among humans - a very common name among andorians.
> 
> In non-cannon Star Trek, andorians have four sexes, the containment of all four required for reproduction. I am not making any determination about that - to humans, andorians appear either male or female.
> 
> Both Ensign Tolon and Investigator Buttons are half bajoran, half human. But as far as the girls know, they're bajoran to look at.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 12: The Daughters of Sin

12.12  
The Daughters of Sin

The girls’ caretakers had ushered them into the large room in the lowest level of the castle. They had only been here once before - when they had first been brought to this place three years previously. Isethia had grown into a precocious pre-teen and had quickly become aware that she and her sister were prisoners, not just overprotected guests, even though this place belonged to their relatives. Ipitil was now a very protected seven-year-old. Both girls were unusually pale - their skin almost as white as their hair. Each girl had a dedicated young female companion who served as teacher, nursemaid, bodyguard and custodian. Jhessith was overly dedicated to Ipitil, but was allowed to continue in her role under the oversight of Shressa – who understood more precisely what was expected of her and her cousin.  
No one had been expecting an attack on this castle – hidden, out of the way, with no strategic value. The attack had been precise, lightning fast and devastating. All electrical power was out throughout the castle, meaning no life support, no food replication, and most importantly, no protection – shield or phaser cannon. That did not mean the castle was entirely defenseless. The ice had strong magnetized strips, making beaming in or out impossible except for the castle’s transporter room. And with the power knocked out, that room was equally useless. The attack had also been thorough – backup battery systems and generators had also been destroyed. Whoever had attacked, they obviously had superb intelligence.  
Shressa had no idea how many people had been killed or injured, but she had no doubt there had been some people in those areas during the attack. She kept a close eye on Isethia. Shressa had always maintained an emotional distance between herself and her charge because she knew a day like this might come.  
The walls in this part of the compound were too thick for the sound of fighting to make it in and radio signals were being jammed, so Shressa was entirely reliant on the guards outside the door for news. Nearly five hours after the initial attack, the door guard gave the all clear signal – a series of knocks. In addition to the girls there were three house guards in this room. One of the guards unlocked and opened the door – then dropped her phase pistol and crumpled to the floor. Two dark-skinned bajorans ducked and rolled into the room and came up firing, rendering the other two guards unconscious.  
Shressa knew she was not going to survive this encounter, but she had one thing left to do and it would not go undone. She swept out her knife and raced toward Isethia. From the corner of her eye, she saw her cousin, Jhessith draw her knife as well. Perhaps she did understand her responsibility after all. Before she could reach Isethia, Shressa felt a dull pain in the back of her neck and an incredibly loud crunch. Her arms and legs would no longer do what she was telling them.   
Shressa crumpled to the floor. She had failed to kill her charge as was her responsibility, but she had given her last effort to that duty.

Jhessith, after throwing her knife at her cousin, fell to her knees, hands raised. A fire fight was going on out in the hallway. Four more intruders ducked into the room and closed and locked the door behind them. One was clearly cardassian, the other three were much harder to place. She guessed they were part cardassian, but the wrong color – more tan than gray. Ipitil ran into Jhessith’s arms and hugged her, crying in terror.  
The three strange-looking cardassians unslung large, cylindrical objects from their backs, each with a built-in tripod. The tall, very dark bajoran gently ushered Isethia toward Jhessith. Isethia was also terrified, but seemed to understand that this was a rescue. The three cylinders were set up in a triangle around Isethia, Jhessith and Ipitil. The six intruders joined them inside this triangle and at the touch of a switch, a glowing band of light connected the top of each of the cylinders to the other two, creating a glowing triangular ribbon of light.   
In the next moment the room dissolved and Jhessith found herself being ushered off a crowded transporter pad in a crowded room, Isethia and Ipitil clinging to her. The two dark-skinned bajorans accompanied them into a lift, then from it, through a hallway and into an office where a bolian and another bajoran, both clad in black uniforms, awaited.

12.12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Isethia Shav (Isethia)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Tarsk, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.12  
Age when introduced: 12  
Role: Daughter of Sin Shav
> 
> Character: Ipitil Shav (Ipitil)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Tarsk, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.12  
Age when introduced: 7  
Role: Daughter of Sin Shav
> 
> Character: Shressa Shav (Shressa)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Bespatel, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.12  
Age when introduced: 15  
Role: Guardian of Isethia Shav
> 
> Character: Jhessith Shav (Jhessith)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Bespatel, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.12  
Age when introduced: 13  
Role: Guardian of Ipitil Shav


	31. Episode 12.13 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Sin Interred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The body of Dauphin Sin th'Ravonette has been discovered - by Investigator (erm.. that is) Eliminator First Class Lynhart Shran. Let the autopsy begin...
> 
> _During this discussion, the Guard unit had moved several boxes and pulled out the one Dr. Sif had pointed to. They pried the box open to reveal a dead andorian inside with no obvious wounds._  
_Dr. Sif ran her tricorder over the body. “Poison,” she said..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
As I mentioned previously, there are two andorians named "Sin" in this story - one of them is dead: the Dauphin (presumptive heir) Sin th'Ravonet and the Dauphin Sin Shav...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 13: Sin Interred

12.13  
Sin Interred

2nd Lt. T’Lon and Midshipman Sif beamed down to the coordinates Lynhart Shran had given them. A unit of eight Andorian Imperial Guard troops were waiting along with the old investigator in a warehouse in Reitel, a northern suburb of the Andorian capital. Three other andorians in civilian clothing were also present – their expressions ranging from annoyance to disgust. The room smelled like rotting flesh.  
T’Lon closed her eyes for a moment to adjust to the stench. Next to her, Dr. Sif tried hard not to retch.  
“It’s not all that bad, young one,” Shran said to Sif. “Just think back to your medical training. The victorious dead are warehoused here. Do not shame them.” Shran looked pointedly at the civilians, each of whom was extremely well dressed.  
“Just so that I do not overstep my boundaries, Investigator, am I to understand you are still on leave?” asked T’Lon.  
“At the moment, it’s Eliminator, First Class, Lieutenant. And I appreciate the question. For now, we should address each other as members of allied military forces. I am on temporary reactivated status with the Andorian Imperial Guard. And if my detective skills have not failed me, this warehouse contains what you have been looking for. But neither I, nor these guardsmen are authorized to look for it. I just ran across it by random chance while assessing my assigned targets. I suggest you set your tricorders to detect airborne decaying DNA fragments. You might want to begin your search with this stack behind me.”  
Midshipman Sif made some adjustments on her tricorder, then pointed her tricorder toward T’Lon’s tricorder – synchronizing them. The vulcan and the trill set to analyzing a stack of boxes made from a substance that resembled wood. Almost immediately, Dr. Sif put her hand on one of the boxes and said, “This one.”  
Shran turned to the guard unit and said, “Coreguide, would you and your unit assist our Star Fleet friends and retrieve this box?”  
One of the three civilians blurted, “What have you asked us here for?”  
Shran turned his attention to the angry andorian. “I asked your house to send a witness. And I did not select you. Your house selected you. Now do the job your house sent you here to do.”  
“I am not afraid of you, assassin,” the andorian retorted.  
Another of the three civilians turned toward him and said, “You should be...”

During this discussion, the Guard unit had moved several boxes and pulled out the one Dr. Sif had pointed to. They pried the box open to reveal a dead andorian inside with no obvious wounds.  
Dr. Sif ran her tricorder over the body. “Poison,” she said. She pressed the sensor of the tricorder against the dead andorian’s neck, then nodded at Shran.  
“Witnesses please step forward and witness,” Shran said.  
One of the witnesses gasped. Another said, “That’s him.” The angry andorian only got angrier.

“Lieutenant T’Lon,” said Shran, “May I present the heir of House th’Ravonet and the presumptive emperor, Sin th’Ravonet…”  
T’Lon turned toward the angry andorian, who was the House th’Ravonet representative. “I am authorized to require this body for forensic examination. You, as the th’Ravonet representative, will accompany the body to our ship and remain with it throughout examination to verify chain of custody.”  
“You can make no such requirement of me.”  
“I do not need to. Your house makes that requirement of you. The witnesses from House Shav and House zh’Ithirith are welcome and invited to attend.” T’Lon turned to the imperial guardsman Shran had earlier addressed. “Coreguide, can you come or detail some of your guardsmen to come as well? The Federation would prefer to have a few impartial witnesses."  
The coreguide responded by counting off two of his soldiers. “Shyl, Osab with me. The rest of you with Eliminator Shran.”

12.13


	32. Episode 12.14 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: See No Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The daughters are reunited with their father, Sin Shav. The blind Dauphin of House Shav starts to take control of his house now that his daughters are safe...
> 
> _Isethia ran to the andorian and he caught her in his arms, lifting her easily. It was clear from his movements, particularly his head movement and his eyes that he was profoundly blind. It was equally clear that this did not hinder him at all in recognizing the girls or understanding the space around him. “Isethia…”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This guy, the blind andorian, Sin Shav, will definitely be back. Major character being introduced...
> 
> "Sibob" - Father or Parent.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 14: See No Sin

12.14  
See No Sin

After a thorough medical screening, which the two young girls endured largely with Jhessith’s support and encouragement, they were ushered from the small surgery back into the medical office. A tall, snow white andorian was waiting for them. 

“SIBOB!!”

Isethia ran to the andorian and he caught her in his arms, lifting her easily. It was clear from his movements, particularly his head movement and his eyes that he was profoundly blind. His pupils and irises were only partly formed - his eyes remained motionless in their sockets. It was equally clear that this did not hinder him at all in recognizing the girls or understanding the space around him. “Isethia…”   
The younger girl was clinging to Jhessith, an expression of mingled fear and wonder on her face. “Sibob?”  
The andorian set the older girl down and settled to his haunches. “Ipitil…” The younger girl’s expression changed to one of unvarnished joy. She detached herself from her caretaker and ran into the blind andorian’s arms, buried her face in his chest.

After a moment, he stood again and turned toward Ensign Tolon. “I have you to thank for my daughters.”  
Lt. Tauk entered the room.   
“I was there and it was my team, along with Investigator Buttans, who brought them out.” Tolon clasped Buttans’ shoulder. “But the rescue was authorized by Lieutenant Commander Mlady.  
“Your daughters are in good health,” said Dr. Jazz. “They have not spent enough time out of doors and their blood shows a slight lack of some important enzymes. But with a normal, heathy schedule of outdoor activities, that should easily be corrected.”  
Lt. Cmdr. Mlady entered the room. The blind andorian turned to greet her.  
“I am told I have you to thank for rescuing my daughters. Many andorian children need rescue. But you chose to rescue mine.”  
Mlady gave the blind man a long, evaluating look before she responded. “We have started the process. But it is up to Andoria to look after his own children. In my opinion, and that of others whom I respect, that means rescuing those other children is your responsibility.”  
“And you have cleared the path for me.” He turned toward Jhessith. “You are a member of my family. You always have been. And I can tell you paid an awful price to protect my daughters. What is your name, child?”  
“I am Jhessith.”  
“Jhessith, there is no safer place than this place for now. I have a job even more terrible than yours. I must pit my family against my family. Far too many of them have forgotten what it means to be andorian and that lesson will inevitably be taught in blood. Will you look after my daughters here until I return for them?”  
Jhessith was visibly relieved and overcome with emotion – almost unable to speak. “Always..” she managed.  
“Then you will be as a daughter to me.” He turned his blind eyes toward Mlady. “Lieutenant Commander, I must visit my family members who are imprisoned aboard the U.S.S. Vox. I must see who among them remembers the meaning of loyalty and honor. Will you please introduce me to her captain?”

12.14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Dauphin Sin th’Ravonette (Sin)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Lor’Tan, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.14  
Age when introduced: Dead  
Role: Dauphin of House th’Ravonette, Heir apparent to the Imperial Dias


	33. Episode 12.15 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: The Study of Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The Hunter's forensic investigators conduct an autopsy on the presumptive emperor - Sin th'Ravonet - and find out much more than just that he was poisoned...
> 
> _“Your lies will not be…” started the House Shav representative, starting to draw his knife only to find the blind andorian’s hand grasping his wrist._  
_“We are guests in this place,” he said. There was a forcefulness in his precise enunciation - an echoing sound to his voice even when speaking quietly. “A royal representative interrupting a Star Fleet scientist and accusing her of lies is an unacceptable breach of protocol. I must be able to assure all of the houses that their representatives behave appropriately. Do you not agree?”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Part of the capability of the U.S.S. Hunter's crew is their ability to conduct forensic investigations.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 15: The Study of Sin

12.15  
The Study of Sin

Dr. Sif and Dr. Napoleon Boles set about conducting an autopsy in the large surgery with an audience - the representatives from the three royal houses and the three imperial guardsmen attended, watching closely on the forensic monitors. Before they were finished, the blind andorian joined them, along with Lt. Tauk, 2nd Lt. T’Lon and Lt. Cmdr. Mlady.   
  
“Please forgive us for walking you through the evidence step by step,” said Dr. Sif in her light, girlish voice. “We want to make the case thoroughly. First, there is no doubt that the Dauphin, Sin th’Ravonet, was poisoned. However we also have evidence that he was held prisoner in the infamous Ice Hole, owned by House Shav.”  
“Your lies will not be…” started the House Shav representative, starting to draw his knife only to find the blind andorian’s hand grasping his wrist.  
“We are guests in this place,” he said. There was a forcefulness in his precise enunciation - an echoing sound to his voice even when speaking quietly. “A royal representative interrupting a Star Fleet scientist and accusing her of lies is an unacceptable breach of protocol. I must be able to assure all of the houses that their representatives behave appropriately. Do you not agree?”  
The House Shav representative looked at the blind andorian with a mixture of awe and terror. His antennae seemed to droop in deference. “Yes, Dauphin. Please forgive me.”  
Lt. Tauk slowly removed his hand from the hand phaser at his belt.  
“Please continue, Dr. Sif,” the blind andorian said. “There will be no further interruptions.”

Sif seemed considerably shaken. “At this time, I would like to turn the presentation over to Dr. Boles.”  
Napoleon Boles put his hand on Sif’s shoulder, squeezed gently, then turned to the andorians. His skin was much darker blue than theirs.  
“We sent a team to the Ice Hole. It had been recently shut down and has now been destroyed. But one of our team members had the presence of mind to collect samples of the aglimoss growing in the hole. As you know, andorians digest aglimoss slowly and it leaves a residue in the upper liver that gradually becomes toxic unless they are also consuming oroins, which counteract the aglimoss toxins. Aglimoss produces unique toxins depending on where it is grown and the toxins from the samples we collected in the Ice Hole are identical to those found in the Dauphin’s upper liver.  
“However, we also found partially digested oroins in his stomach. These were not the varieties commonly found growing in the polar regions, but were imported from offworld - the colony of Avradega, which is largely under the control of House th’Ravonet. This seems to indicate that the Dauphin had somehow recently been recovered by House th’Ravonet.”  
“Finally, the poison that killed the Dauphin was pardo - a poison commonly used by House zh’Ithirith. However, the dosage and the ingredients are not consistent with plants commonly available to House zh’Ithirith. This pardo was made with race seed instead of srakin seed. Race seed is grown only on Corvin Island, which is th’Ravonet territory. And race seed is not as effective an ingredient, requiring a much larger dosage - which would be consistent with the amount of pardo we found in the Dauphin’s blood stream.”

The blind andorian turned his antennae toward Dr. Boles. “What are your conclusions?”  
“You just heard them’” Boles responded flatly. “However, we can surmise, based on this evidence, that the Dauphin was clearly the prisoner of House Shav until no more than 15 days ago, at which time it appears he returned to his territory, only to be poisoned no less than 11 days ago by a poison made from materials local to th’Ravonet territory.”

12.15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Dauphin Sin Shav (Sin)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Tarsk, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 12.15  
Age when introduced: 36  
Role: Dauphin of House Shav, Candidate for the Imperial Dias


	34. Episode 12.16 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Succession without Representation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
A revolution has happened in House Shav and the current Shav representatives are ejected from mediation - violently.
> 
> _The two on the right side of the line looked up in terror - each seeing a giant hand suddenly gripping their heads, crushing their antennae. Pep lifted these men by their heads and hurled them into the other two standing andorians, knocking one of them down. The other scrambled out of the way, only to find the giant had closed the distance between them with a leap. With a left jab, Pep sent this man flying..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I hope the description of this scrum gives the reader an idea of just how frightening the giant David Pepper can be in battle...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 16: Succession Without Representation

12.16  
Succession Without Representation

Justice Minerva Irons stepped into the courtroom in Laikan. Commander David Pepper followed her, carrying an office chair. All the andorians in the courtroom were immediately outraged and a bedlam of complaints arose in which no particular voice could clearly be understood. “You cannot bring…” “…tradition and condition of…” “…mockery of this mediation…” “…do you think gives you the right…” “…insult to the empire…”  
Irons stopped in the middle of the room. Pep planted the chair in a corner. This action alone caused the babble of complaints to die down, replaced with curiosity. Irons cleared her throat. That sound alone could be interpreted as a break in her silence, which would require mediation to begin within two hours. The courtroom became silent - everyone holding their breath as it became apparent that after 17 days of silence, Justice Irons was about to speak. Even the forest of antennae stood still. In more than two weeks of silence, this room had never been so silent.

Irons lifted her voice - deep, loud, cracking with disuse and age but still rich and powerful - almost deafening. She pointed at one group of Andorian representatives: “You no longer represent House Shav.” She turned to the three judges, pointed at one of them. “And neither do you. You must leave this place. Until House Shav is properly represented, this mediation is suspended.”   
Irons walked over to the chair in the corner and sat down.

“You cannot eject a family judge!” exclaimed the challenged judge.  
Without moving from the chair, Irons said, “David, please eject the pretenders from this room.”  
“I challenge this court’s ruling!” said one of the House Shav representatives.   
Irons laid her head back, then looked at the andorian. “You have no standing to issue a challenge. David, remove them.”  
Member of the House Shav delegation stepped out from the area of the room they had been waiting in and swept out their Ushaan-Tor ice cutting blades. These blades, like those carried by many wealthy andorians, were customized for combat instead of ice-cutting. The House Shav judge also stepped out and drew his blade. He took a position behind the others.  
“With prejudice,” Irons added.  
The remainder of the andorians cleared the floor, moving to the edges of the room. Dr. Tali Shae took up a position next to her captain.

Pep crouched as five armed andorians grouped to charge him. He also had an Ushaan-Tor at his belt, but did not bother with it as the blade would have been ridiculously small in his hand. As the group of andorians charged toward him, Pep ran toward them and broke to their left, causing the two farthest from him to turn sharply to their left, interfering with each other and the andorians next to them. The giant grasped the left arm of the leftmost andorian, carrying her away from the group, stopped abruptly and hurled her into the House Shav judge, who remained with his Ushaan-Tor drawn but had not joined the group of representatives in their attack.  
Pep started running again, running away from the four remaining andorians, who had regained their balance. He turned sharply to his right, running straight toward the two wounded on the floor. The judge and the woman whose left arm Pep had broken scrambled in terror to get out of the way. Pep leapt easily over them - the four chasing him stumbled over them.   
The two on the right side of the line looked up in terror - each seeing a giant hand suddenly gripping their heads, crushing their antennae. Pep lifted these men by their heads and hurled them into the other two standing andorians, knocking one of them down. The other scrambled out of the way, only to find the giant had closed the distance between them with a leap. With a left jab, Pep sent this man flying. The remaining andorian had only managed to stand up and was still off balance when Pep’s right fist connected with the side of his head, sending him crashing, unconscious, to the floor.  
The entire horrifyingly violent spectacle had taken less than two minutes and left all six andorians alive, but completely incapacitated. Pep was bleeding from a couple of shallow cuts he had received during the fight.

Minerva Irons stood up. “A new delegation and a new judge from House Shav will arrive tomorrow. We will reconvene then.”

Imperial Guard medical personnel were summoned into the room to retrieve the former House Shav representatives.

12.16


	35. Episode 12.17 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Messages of Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Sin, the Dauphin of House Shav has now become Emperor Sin IV of Andoria - and addresses the empire:
> 
> _“...If you are guilty of no worse than affiliation with a separatist movement, I offer you this one chance to put your rebellion behind you, clear your name and take your place as a loyal citizen of the empire. Do not mistake my largesse for lenience. I will not tolerate disloyalty to the Andorian Empire or to the United Federation of Planets..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Pep may be a scary guy, but he has nothing on this dude. And you will be seeing a lot of Emperor Sin IV. 
> 
> Come on... A blind, charismatic, powerfully telepathic absolute monarch... What could possibly go wrong?

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 17: Messages of Sin

12.17  
Messages of Sin

The blind andorian appeared on viewscreens throughout the Andorian Imperial Guard fleet and all watch stations. The fact that the military had agreed to broadcast him and make his broadcast required watching meant that all of the royal houses were watching as well. As were all of the Star Fleet crews in orbit.

“I am Sin Shav, true heir to House Shav.  
“To Ishav Shav, I say this: Your line and your claim to House Shav is illegitimate. In 871, Ishta Shav murdered her father and her older brother to claim House Shav for herself and her descendants. But her brother had a child - Siev. I am the descendant of and heir to Siev Shav and I now claim what is rightfully mine.  
“Furthermore, by making allegiance with those who deny the Empire’s rightful place of leadership within the Federation - those who use the title Andoria First, but care only for themselves first - you have continued the dishonor that Ishta Shav brought to my house. My house, that has not led the empire in nearly 400 years. And you and your illegitimate line and their allegiance to Andoria First are the reason why.   
“House Shav will no longer follow you. Freely and openly renounce your claim and I will protect you and your family as members of my house in good standing. Refuse and you will be hunted to the ends of the galaxy. There will be no place you can hide from me.

“To Baronnetta th’Ravonet, I say this: Your father, Sin th’Ravonet, has been found. He was murdered and his body interred in a facility for th’Ravonet honored dead. Because your father died under suspicious circumstances, I encourage you to withdraw your House’s claim to lead the empire and your own claim to lead your house until his murder is solved.   
“To Zorah zh’Ithirith, I request your support as heir to House zh’Ithirith, to my claim to House Shav and to lead the empire. The majority of House Shav forces support my claim. The Andorian Imperial Guard supports my claim. The time for House Shav to lead the empire and to give our strength to the Federation has come again. Your mother brought great honor to your House as a wise Empress. While your claim is legitimate, my claim is strengthened by a broader base of alliances and seasoned by wisdom that Andoria needs in these times.  
“You can see that I am Aenar. I am blind, yet I see. I see into your hearts. It is time for an Emperor who cannot be lied to. And it is time for an Imperial Chancellor from House zh’Ithirith. And an Imperial Minister from House th’Ravonet. I offer a unified imperial government for the first time in more than 600 years.  
“To those who cleve to Andoria First and similar separatist movements, I say this: You are outlaw and you will be hunted to the ends of the galaxy and treated with no remorse. Surrender now to the Imperial Guard, renounce your allegiance to outlaw organizations and swear your loyalty to me and to Andoria and your record will be reviewed. If you are guilty of no worse than affiliation with a separatist movement, I offer you this one chance to put your rebellion behind you, clear your name and take your place as a loyal citizen of the empire. Do not mistake my largesse for lenience. I will not tolerate disloyalty to the Andorian Empire or to the United Federation of Planets.  
“And for our allies, the other members of the Federation who have proved their loyalty to the empire time and again, from Johnathan Archer to Minerva Irons, I say this: The Andorian Empire stands sovereign within the United Federation of Planets. And the Empire stands united with the Federation as an ally and as a founding member. As Emperor, I pledge to strengthen those bonds.  
“Finally, to my loyal andorians I say this: The proponents of Andoria First say they want to take Andoria back to a golden age. A golden age that never existed. These are the best days of the Andorian Empire and, if you give me your support, far better days are ahead, for all loyal Andorians. What say you, Andoria?”

The camera panned suddenly wide to reveal that the Dauphin Sin Shav was speaking in the great public square in Laikan. More than a hundred thousand mingled civilians and Imperial Guard soldiers were crowded into the square. Their antennae were moving in unison. A shout went up - “Emperor Sin! Emperor Sin! Emperor Sin!” accompanied by the percussion of a hundred thousand andorians striking their chests with both fists twice in unison after each cry.

12.17


	36. Episode 12.18 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: After Action Review

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Following their mission to Andoria, the leadership of the U.S.S. Hunter review the mission  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Being compared to a "Captain Kirk" is not a compliment in today's business or government world and certainly not in any military. The people who use "Kirk" as an epithet should probably go back and watch the original series again..

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 18: After Action Review

12.18  
After Action Review

“We’re going to keep this short.” Justice Minerva Irons looked exhausted. She leaned back in her chair at the head of the table in the executive conference room. “Tali.”  
Dr. Tali Shae was seated next to Irons. “Dr. Sif did a thorough job with her autopsy of the Dauphin, Sin th’Ravonet. However, she tells me that it was Dr. Boles who researched thousands of andorian autopsies, particularly in missing persons cases and it was his research that identified not only how to track an andorian’s location by their consumption of aglimoss and oroins, but it was also what made him suspicious when they identified the amount of pardo in the Dauphin’s bloodstream. I know Dr. Boles occasionally rubs people the wrong way, but his contributions were vital to this effort. And Dr. Sif has become one of his small circle of fans.”  
“Thank you, Tali,” said Irons. “Lt. Tauk.”  
Tauk took a deep breath, coughed, then took another breath. “Ensign Tolon and his team, along with Investigator Buttans got all the excitement and performed exceptionally well. Tolon has completely won the loyalty of his team. He leads well from behind and from in front and knows when each is appropriate. He was the one who had the presence of mind to collect samples of the aglimoss during the first rescue attempt in the Ice Hole. But we would have been nowhere without the intelligence provided by Investigator Shran and Lieutenant T’Lon’s processing of this information. She designed the attack plan to rescue the Dauphin Sin Shav’s daughters.”  
“Has Shran returned from leave?” Irons asked.  
“He has,” Tauk replied. “He isn’t telling us what he did during the time he was reactivated by the Imperial Guard and I am not asking.”  
“Continue that policy,” Irons said. “Kenneth.”  
“Chief Guth, and flight specialists Chin and Salazaar conducted a flawless first strike in Bespatel," said Lt. Dolphin. "Chin and Salazaar had to wait for more than 20 hours in their interceptors in Rings’ eastern LaGrange point. Hiding in a LaGrange point requires constant adjustment to keep from drifting into the debris. Guth did a superb job gathering information at Bespatel and taking down the house shields. He also did some fine flying down into the Ice Hole. And T’Lon and I had a bit of excitement up here.”  
“So I heard,” Irons intoned. “We will talk about that momentarily. Sarekson?”  
Dr. Carrera cleared his throat. “Midshipman Brazil worked well in the field, especially in rescuing the ground ops team out of the Ice Hole. She has done some fine tuning to the pattern enhancers that helped overcome some local conditions that would otherwise have made use of the transporters impossible. Dr. Sun worked with Lt. Gamor up here to feed erroneous information to House Shav's surveillance satellites, which kept our ground operations concealed from them. The Hunter, the wagon, the tactical unit and both interceptors are in good condition and ready for next action.”  
  
Irons turned toward her 2nd officer: “Lieutenant Commander, you met directly with the new emperor. Impressions?”  
Mlady sat up. “He is strongly telepathic and projects a presence around him that everyone can feel. A lion. The other andorians were terrified of him. And fascinated by him. It appears word that he was making a power play got leaked to the House Shav fighter pilots, which could be one reason they were so unwilling to open fire on us.”  
"That was a barn burner of a speech," said Irons.  
"I really don't know much about him," said Tali, "but considering the alternatives - Zorah zh'Itherith is sickly and unlikely to live more than a year. Baronetta th'Ravonette is under suspicion now for her father's murder, which left Ishav Shav, who is in league with the Andoria First separatists..."  
“And now, apparently, on the run with them," Irons intoned. "Well, all things considered, I believe this qualifies as a successful mission. Thank you all. You are dismissed. Kenneth, David, Mlady, please stay.”

12.18


	37. Episode 12.19 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle: Annual Performance Evaluation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lt. Dolphin is given his annual performance evaluation - and his rank is adjusted accordingly...
> 
> This is the final scene in Episode 12. The story continues with Episode 13 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle  
Scene 19: Annual Performance Evaluation

  
12.19  
Annual Performance Evaluation

Justice Minerva Irons laid her head back and closed her eyes until the room had cleared. Without opening her eyes, she placed a small box on the table, pushed it with her fingertips to Commander David Pepper, who, in turn, placed a massive finger on it and slid it across the table to Lt. Commander Mlady.  
  
“Lieutenant Dolphin,” Mlady said, “we have completed your annual review. Because of the severe implications of your behavior over the past year, I am deferring to our Executive Officer.”  
“Admirals have gotten involved in this action, Kenny,” said Pep. “And not just any admirals, the Chief of Star Fleet Operations and the Star Fleet Chief of Staff. Given that, I am deferring to Captain Irons.”  
Irons opened her eyes, looking even more weary. “Kenneth, given your behavior over the past year, Admiral El Fadil and Fleet Admiral Stewart have both made it clear that an adjustment in rank is not only in order, but required. I am not going to change the structure of this boat - you will continue in your role as director of flight operations. You will still answer to Lieutenant Commander Mlady and Second Lieutenant Gamor will still answer to you. I don’t like placing an officer under the general supervision of an officer of the same rank, but given the circumstances, it cannot be avoided.”  
“To review: Within the first hour you joined this crew, you gave a direct order to a fellow first lieutenant, Lieutenant Allen Mitchell. He filed a grievance against you, and that grievance made it to Chief of Staff El Fadil. In the Battle for Pillo you brought the tactical unit out of warp manually directly between two battle cruisers that were less than 100 meters apart. I had the Daystrom Institute run the numbers and they told me that maneuver is statically impossible and you should never have attempted it.”  
“In your assignment to Subspace Radio Ivonovic, you disobeyed my orders to only give an interview, went rogue, behaved like a covert agent and in the process of providing shelter from the tribunal for a wanted suspect, you lied to Fleet Admiral Stewart and used my personal influence in ways that I am still recovering from. And then there are your actions over the past few days.”  
“During a firefight over Andoria, after playing chicken with an andorian cruiser and nearly squashing yourself and two other officers like a bug on their hull, you personally took command of the battlefield in the presence of four Star Fleet captains and eleven other superior officers. Captain Chekov, who is in command of this mission, was particularly incensed at your use of your own name - especially when you personally commandeered 40 andorian interceptors and threatened to cut off the squadron commander’s antennae? And there’s a rumor floating around that you horse-whipped a superior officer?”

Dolphin turned bright red.  
“I cannot have a first lieutenant under my command doing these kinds of things, Kenneth,” Irons said.   
Lt. Cmdr. Mlady opened the box, removed a rank pip - platinum with a black center. She walked around the table to Lt. Dolphin. He felt her tugging at his collar. She stepped back.  
“Some of the Star Fleet captains are starting to call you a ‘Kirk’. That isn’t a compliment when coming from superior officers.” Irons sighed, took a breath. “But Admiral El Fadil and Fleet Admiral Stewart - who still doesn’t like you by the way - agreed with me that having a Lieutenant Dolphin with your reputation is not optimal for my strategic needs… Lieutenant Commander…”

Dolphin’s hand shot to his collar, counted three pips. He could feel the third pip was the new one with a black dot in the center.

Pep exploded with laughter. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep a straight face around here??”  
Irons started laughing as well. “You scared a top of the line andorian battle cruiser out of the sky of its own homemoon…” she couldn’t continue for laughing.   
“I just wish I could see Captain Chekov’s face when he learns you promoted him…” Mlady said.  
“Tell me how to run my ship,” Irons retorted, a little acerbically. “I was a starship captain 20 years before he was born. I bounced him on my knee… And he was a wet little crybaby…”  
Pep, barely managing to speak while laughing: “I can’t believe you horse-whipped Commander Red…”  
Dolphin, still bright red, managed, “It was just one pop… It was Mlady’s idea…”  
Pep held on to the table to keep from falling out of his chair laughing.  
  


12 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle


	38. Episode 13.1 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons is headed home to her hometown of Ba Sing Se on Cun Ling. 
> 
> _ Irons sighed. “Tempting. But I’ll be home tomorrow. Surely there will be a therapist I can go to on Cun Ling.”_  
_“Don’t lie to me, old woman,” Tali said, wagging an antenna at Irons. “You may have been born on Cun Ling, but this is your home. Space. And a boat to drift through it in.”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This Episode goes to several places - Numinor, Ba Sing Se, Trantor, Pern... But it also gets fairly dark. Be forewarned. It's a tough journey, but I think it's worth it...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 1: Homecoming

13.1  
Homecoming

“It just gives me nightmares. It’s like he’s coming after me.” There was no more romulan ale. But Dr. Tali Shae had managed to score some saurian brandy. Humans tended to go for the smooth brandy that had the texture of thin honey. But Tali Shae knew what the good stuff looked like - grainy with unprocessed cavallaro eggs.  
Unlike most intoxicating drinks, saurian brandy had a strong restorative effect, speeding healing, reducing pain, providing mild euphoria and a simultaneous stimulant - like powerful coffee, scotch and morphine mixed into a brew so potent it made your teeth feel like they were on fire - but after a few sips you just wouldn’t care all that much.  
Justice Minerva Irons was seated in the lounge chair in her quarters. Tali was on the couch. The brandy was in a bottle on the table between them along with two tumblers. Irons took a drink of the brandy, shuddered. “Ugh. Tastes like pee smells after I’ve eaten asparagus… Sprinkled with tequila and licorice-flavored caviar with a hint of wasabi.”  
“Smells and tastes like sibob’s breakfast to me. But my sibob never got up until the middle of the day,” Tali responded.  
“I love watching David fight,” Irons said, answering Tali’s initial thought. “The eyes of a scholar, the mind of a dreamer, the heart of a warrior, the soul of a poet - all wrapped up in the body of a titan. Sucks for whoever is stupid enough to challenge him. Whenever he is in my dreams, he’s always a guardian.”  
“I guess it’s because they were andorian. When he grabbed those two by their heads… They transmitted… I could feel their agony as their antennae were.. crunched… and that sound… ih..” Tali shuddered. Her shoulders hunched. Her antennae almost curled as well.  
Irons grunted sympathetically. Took another pull of saurian brandy. Made a face. Shuddered. “Ugh… This stuff tastes yesterday’s puke! But it feels so good… It’s almost like getting a nice, warm massage from the inside…”  
“How long has it been since you had a proper massage?” Tali asked.   
“Last time I saw Enlai. He was so good with his hands.”  
“Your second husband? Didn’t that marriage end more than 70 years ago?”  
“Yes, but I saw him about - oh - about 35 years ago? Shortly before he died. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to withstand a massage now.”  
“It turns out we have a fully telepathic, Betazed-certified massage therapist on board,” Tali said. “He can feel from the inside how much pressure to use…”  
“Ah, our beautiful Eli. How many of the women on this boat has he dallied with?” Irons asked.  
“Only the ones who want him to. Which would be most of them… Being a telepath is a serious advantage. And he has taken full advantage of it.” Tali smiled.  
“I couldn’t ask him…” Irons started.  
“I didn’t have to. The moment I thought about it - not even him - just you needing massage therapy - he reached out to me and extended the offer. He is really sensitive.”  
Irons sighed. “Tempting. But I’ll be home tomorrow. Surely there will be a therapist I can go to on Cun Ling.”  
“Don’t lie to me, old woman,” Tali said, wagging an antenna at Irons. “You may have been born on Cun Ling, but this is your home. Space. And a boat to drift through it in.”  
Minerva Irons smiled, lifted her glass in a silent salute, drained it, grimaced, shuddered again.

“I’m not sure for how much longer, Tali. I’m not an old woman anymore. I used to be.. A couple of years ago…” Irons sighed again. “I’m a very old woman now.”

13.1


	39. Episode 13 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter travels to the second most highly populated of Federation planets - Cun Ling.  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is the opening quote for this episode. 
> 
> The crew roster for this episode includes the hometown for each crew member.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling

Episode 13 – The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling

_“Bajorans reached to the stars to find their gods._   
_ Andorians reached to the stars at the behest of their gods._   
_ Klingons reached to the stars to murder their gods._  
_ Cardassians reached to the stars because they thought they were gods._   
_ Romulans reached to the stars and lost their gods._  
_ Vulcans reached to the stars to prove there are no gods.   
_ _ Humans reached to the stars and became gods.”_

_Kai Kila Xijiana - Introduction to _ _Legends of the Sisco, 4th edition_ _._

  
  


Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

Each Crewmember’s Hometown bracketed in_ {Italics}_

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons _{Ba Sing Sa, Cun Ling}_  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper _{Laikan, Andoria}  
_Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady _ {Undisclosed}_

Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae _{Laikan, Andoria}_  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder _{Ilvia, Bajor}_  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles _{Cloddy, Bolarus IV}_  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei _{Horizon, Trillius Prime}_  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif _{Numinor, Cun Ling}_  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim

Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin _{Providence, Rhode Island, Earth}_  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor _ {Ingende, Congo, Earth}_  
Navigator Johanna Imex _ {Mbuye, Rwanda, Earth}_  
Navigator Eli Strahl _ {Eden, Cun Ling}_  
Ensign Ethan Phillips _{Rus, Vulcan}_  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth _{Wakanda, Cun Ling}_  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri _{Trantor, Cun Ling}_  
Flight Specialist Joey Chin _{Ba Sing Sa, Cun Ling}  
_ Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar _ {New York City, New York, Earth}_

Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk _{Dos, Ferenginar}_  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon _ {Kauai Island, Hawaii, Earth}_  
Investigator Lynhart Shran _{New York City, New York, Earth}_  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo _{Hathon, Bajor}_  
Ensign Tolon Reeves _{Bangalor, India, Earth}_  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong _{CIO 19 (Cardassian Imperial Outpost 19)}_  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys _{CIO 19}_  
Tactical Specialist Belo Garr _{CIO 19}  
_ Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys _{CIO 19}_

Director of Engineering - Lt. Sarekson Carrera _{Pichilemu, Chile, Earth}_  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek _{New Eden, Mars}_  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil _{Trantor, Cun Ling}_  
Transporter Engineer K'rok _{Trantor, Cun Ling}_  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui _{Hanoi, Vietnam, Earth}_  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas _{Chickasha, Oklahoma, Earth}_  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs _{Trantor, Cun Ling}_  
Flight Engineer Tomos _{Sanctuary of the Waterbirds, Cophus II}  
_ Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon _{Bangalore, India, Earth}_


	40. Episode 13.2 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Numinor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Kenny Dolphin and Buttans Ngumbo and other of the U.S.S. Hunter's crew end up in Numinor - the great island city given to Elf-friends for their loyalty to the elves in the wars of the First Age...
> 
> _“Her parents both moved back to the trill homeworld with their new spouses,” Ngumbo continued. “Her half-brother is still here on Cun Ling, but he’s a planetary engineer and she’s not sure he’ll get time off to see her.”_  
_“I wonder if a request from the Irons family to the planetary commission might shake him loose,” Kenny mused. “If I remember my mythology correctly, there should be a homely house around here somewhere that would be a great place to get her and her half-brother together – along with us and some more of the crew for a dinner. I can’t imagine people building Numinor without including a homely house…”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Numinor includes an even more ancient place invented by J.R.R. Tolkien - The Homely House - a gathering place Tolkien designed after the great hall in Beowulf.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 2: Numinor

13.2  
Numinor

A large star – A Boo – was positioned roughly in the center of a triangle that described the spatial relationship among the three founding homestar systems of the federation – the homestars of Earth, Vulcan and Andoria. Several other species had been present at the initiation of the federation, but it was the humans, vulcans and andorians who were established military powers and formed the military core of the alliance.  
In the centuries prior to the federation, the A Boo system had been a flashpoint of wars over resources between the Vulcan High Command and the Andorian Empire. But it was not until humans started flooding into the system that A Boo gained a habitable world. Cun Ling was the brainchild of planetary architect Lin Ling Liu.   
Ling was so charismatic she drew thousands and eventually millions of andorians, humans, vulcans and individuals from a dozen other species to work together to build her dream. Early on, the collection of asteroids and enormous machines used to weld them together was nicknamed Cun Ling (Ling’s Village).  
It took only twenty years for the collection of rocks to accrete to an Earth-sized mass and within another twenty years the surfaces were covered with the foundations of a web of interconnected cities with so much room that demographers were projecting these cities would never have sufficient population to do the enormous amount of work needed to continually adjust the various chunks of mass to keep the artificial planet from crumbling in on itself. Within 250 years, A Boo had become the second most populated star system in the federation with more than 9 billion humans and a total system-wide population nearing 14 billion. Population models suggested that within another 100 years, this population would nearly triple.

Because of Cun Ling’s bizarre construction, impossible fantasy cities became possible – groups of skyscrapers surrounding and surrounded by large bodies of water seemingly suspended hundreds of meters above yawning chasms and interconnected with similarly perched cities by bridges that were themselves half-mile-wide canals so that the main form of ground transportation from one city to the next was by water, allowing efficient, if slow, transportation of mass goods by barge.  
Shuttle trains flew over these canals without need for tracks, providing rapid mass transit for tens of millions of commuters. Great machines lurked in the chasms below, constantly adjusting the balance of the collection of asteroids the planet had been constructed from – maintaining these relationships with tolerances of a few millimeters; the canals were constructed from materials that could bow and flex to avoid damage.  
The sides of these chasms were covered with a broad variety of solar collectors, turbines and kinetic collectors that generated energy from the movement among the enormous chunks of rock out of which the planet had been constructed. These provided an abundance of energy for the millions of interconnected dynamos that maintained the magnetosphere that kept the artificial planet’s atmosphere from being blown away by solar wind.  
These machines also produced, as a byproduct, abundant energy for the fabled 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling. Each city had a name from fantasy – among the 15,000 Cities were Camelot, Jumanji, Oz, Uriel, Xanadu, Pern, Hogwarts and Honali – and those were only a small sample of the earthly fantasies. A fairly large contingent of klingon ex-patriots had built Stovokor and a colony of surprisingly whimsical vulcans had founded Sha Ka Ree… Each city had its own unique architecture, generally reflective of the mythology and stories surrounding its namesake.

Lt. Commander Kenny Dolphin, 2nd Lt. T’Lon, Dr. Sarekson Carrera and Investigator Buttans Ngumbo accompanied Dr. Sif to her home city of Numinor – a city dominated by a blend of Greco-Roman and Gothic structures made of white marble and limestone. White temples and gothic spires reached up toward the clouds. While the city itself was beautiful, the Hunter’s crewmembers had ventured there for the gently sloping white sand beaches on the eastern shore. The waters were so clear that the large fish that formed a vital part of the local diet could be seen clearly even at depths of 10 or 15 meters. The edge of Numinor’s eastern waters was obscured by mist. But there was sufficient water and tidal movement for good surfing. Not that surfing was a big draw in Numinor – the Hunter’s small surfing party pretty much had the beach to themselves.

“I’m not really sure I get you two.” Ngumbo was a better surfer than Kenny, but neither had either the expertise or the fascination with the sport that kept T’Lon and Carrera out on the waves for hours on end. After a few hours wearing themselves out on the waves, the investigator and the director of flight operations were resting on large beach towels and sheltering under giant beach umbrellas that were anchored in the sand. Dr. Sif, her red hair in pigtails, her spots seeming more like freckles along her neck, was also surfed out. After spending some time running in the water along the surf’s edge, she was sleeping lightly nearby under another umbrella, her slight, girlish figure curled up on another large beach towel.  
“It would take both you and Shran to figure that out,” Dolphin replied. “You and Sarekson seem to be getting along.”  
Buttans Ngumbo made a wry face. “It’s largely sexual. We can’t very well talk shop – I don’t think there’s more than a few hundred people in the entire federation who could keep up with him – totally off the charts genius. And he doesn’t open up much.”  
“Well, I’m glad the two of you are together,” Kenny remarked. “I never got to see much of him before. And now I get to hear him serenading you with that holographic piano. I was never much into music until I heard him play. I think that might be his way of opening up emotionally.”  
“Never thought of it that way,” Ngumbo replied. “So what is it with you and T’Lon? You’re thick as thieves, but you’re not together?”  
Dolphin sat up, stretched, laced his fingers behind his head. “It was kind of a relief when she – I guess broke up isn’t the right term… redefined our relationship? Don’t get me wrong – I was crazy about her. Still am. But it just…” Dolphin shrugged, dropped his hands into his lap. “Didn’t feel right.” He looked over at Sif. “What’s with Sif? Doesn’t she seem kind of… glum?”  
“Lonely.” Ngumbo concluded. “I think she always has been. She grew up here,” Ngumbo glanced back at the magnificent marble city behind them.   
Kenny looked back as well. Beautiful, stately, but not homely. Somehow cold, almost like a mausoleum.  
“Her parents both moved back to the trill homeworld with their new spouses,” Ngumbo continued. “Her half-brother is still here on Cun Ling, but he’s a planetary engineer and she’s not sure he’ll get time off to see her.”  
“I wonder if a request from the Irons family to the planetary commission might shake him loose,” Kenny mused. “If I remember my mythology correctly, there should be a homely house around here somewhere that would be a great place to get her and her half-brother together – along with us and some more of the crew for a dinner. I can’t imagine people building Numinor without including a homely house…”  
“A homely house? Is that a house that is… homely?” Ngumbo asked.  
“I should say the Homely House,” Dolphin responded. “Sort of a meeting place for elves and heroes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s early writings. As I said – a great place to get our people together and maybe cheer Sif up a bit. I’ll put in a few calls and see if we can arrange for her half-brother to get the time off to join us.”

13.2


	41. Episode 13.3 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Ba Sing Se

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons returns to her birthplace - the Imperial Palace at Ba Sing Se...
> 
> _Minerva Irons smiled and raised her glass, which contained some local iridescently green wine. “I am so pleased to see my birth home prospering. When I was a little girl this great city and even this beautiful palace were vacant, too quiet, newly built and awaiting people. More ghostly than abandoned ruins. This palace was a spooky place at night. Now, with so many people here, it has become a much more joyful place. We even have an economy now. It is wonderful to come home and find things so much better than when I was last here.”_  
_“But Minerva,” the drunken woman stated, somewhat more coherently, “the question has come up, and not to rush things, but to make use of your wisdom while you are here, how shall we choose the nest… the next matriarch?”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I am a big fan of the Avatar series. I like the idea that it would inspire people in the 25th Century...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 5: Ba Sing Se

13.3  
Ba Sing Se

Justice Minerva Irons, as the reigning matriarch of the Irons family, received what amounted to a royal welcome at the train station at the great gates of Ba Sing Se. The trains ran on electricity, but two lifelike statues of earth benders were stationed on the rear step of the last car of each passenger train, in deference to the mythology around the great Earth Kingdom city.

In every city on Cun Ling there was a statue to Lin Ling Liu. The statue of her in Numinor tried to make her appear a heroic figure. It failed. Dumpy, frumpy and slightly misshapen, the founder of Cun Ling simply could not be made to appear heroic despite her legendary charisma and charm. But the statue at the gates of the Imperial Palace in the center of Ba Sing Se captured Ling perfectly – not a hero, but a dreamer – an open book in her lap and her eyes unfocused, looking up beyond the stars. Ling had convinced millions of people to help build her dream by convincing them that they would be building their own. And they had – each city reflecting the fantasies of its founders.   
Ba Sing Se had been Ling’s dream and the Irons family had played a central role in bringing that particular fantasy to life. Lin Ling Liu’s remains were buried underneath her statue in front of the Imperial Palace. Four Dai Li agents guarded this statue at all times – the only variation from the mythic uniforms of the Dai Li were the phasers at their belts. Not that they were likely to be needed. Dai Li were required to become proficient in several forms of martial arts in addition to mastering Hung Gar and they trained daily.

Minerva Irons had been born in the Imperial Palace and many of her cousins and more distant relatives as well as a few of her grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, and a few great-great-great grandbabies lived in and around the palace, in the center of a massive city that only in the past 30 years had begun to fill up to half of its enormous population potential. Much of the city was still sparsely populated behind and close to the great wall, but in several areas the city had a bustle that was beginning to make it feel like its namesake.

An Irons family banquet, much larger than the one on Ocean a year previously, was underway inside the Imperial Palace. Ba Sing Se produced an enormous variety of food and culinary arts had become one of the city’s many home-based industries.  
“These are all Irons?” asked Tali Shae, astonished at a family gathering that included well over 3,000 people.  
“Most of them,” Minerva replied. “There are family friends and related families. Quite a few Lins - descendants of Lin Ling Liu and her family. Young, Chin, Li, Wu and Smart,” she added, looking around. Not all of the families in the room were Chinese. And several of the Irons in the room were not human at all.

“It is such a pleasure to have our esteemed magistrate and matriarch at home at last!” slurred a more that slightly inebriated woman near the other end of the table that Minerva Irons and Tali Shae were seated at. The awkward volume and squeaky pitch of her voice drew attention and caused much of the nearby conversation to pause or to be replaced with whispers.  
Minerva Irons smiled and raised her glass, which contained some local iridescently green wine. “I am so pleased to see my birth home prospering. When I was a little girl this great city and even this beautiful palace were vacant, too quiet, newly built and awaiting people. More ghostly than abandoned ruins. This palace was a spooky place at night. Now, with so many people here, it has become a much more joyful place. We even have an economy now. It is wonderful to come home and find things so much better than when I was last here.”  
“But Minerva,” the drunken woman stated, somewhat more coherently, “the question has come up, and not to rush things, but to make use of your wisdom while you are here, how shall we choose the nest… the next matriarch?”  
Irons responded by laughing. It took her a few minutes to catch herself and she was more than a little light headed. She was the only one laughing. Everyone else was either looking expectantly at her or angrily at her interlocutor. The great ballroom grew silent.

Minerva Irons stood up.

“My dear, lively, ostentatious, occasionally and unjustly maligned Ju Di,” Minerva Irons continued, occasionally laughing as she spoke, “you do not select a matriarch. A matriarch will emerge. I was not chosen,” Irons continued. “There is no crown, no stamp, no scepter, no ointment. My grandmother did not inherit the matriarchy and I did not inherit it from her.”  
Irons paused and looked around the hall at her many relatives. She took a breath and put her hand on Tali’s shoulder. Her balance was still off a bit after her long ordeal in a cold Andorian courtroom... And this was not her first glass of the rather potent, glowing green wine. She took another deep breath. “Long ago, an Englishman named Jeremy Irons had to appear in court in Hong Kong. He fell in love with his lawyer and she, Biyu Irons, became the first Irons matriarch. Her wisdom led to our prosperity.”   
Irons lifted her glass. “And here we are, one great family scattered across a dozen worlds.” She drained her glass. “And this is delicious wine - made right here in Ba Sing Se. Honestly, I have no idea why I would ever drink anything else.” Irons looked at her glass, grimaced as the room around it seemed to swim a little. Almost as an afterthought she said, “Beats all hell out of saurian brandy.”

More than a few of the people around her drained their glasses - but hesitantly - in confusion - as though they were not quite certain they had heard a toast, a speech or an admonishment. Conversations were slow to start up again after Irons sat back down. It took several minutes before the great hall returned to its earlier lively buzz.  
Ju Di Irons, after another glass, made her way unsteadily to the other end of the table. Minerva turned in her chair to face her cousin and the two old women briefly clasped hands. “I have, once again, drunk too deepy… too deeply and too fast,” Ju Di said. “I’m sorry to have made such a fuss.”  
Minerva laughed again, a merry, if somewhat inebriated laugh. “I have had a drop or two myself... Ah, Ju Di, if only the universe were as guileless as you, there would be no more war. You asked a silly question, but you were wise to ask it. It is good to see you again.”  
Ju Di straightened up and teetered just a bit. Minerva turned toward a young man at her table. “Iroh, lend your great aunt your strong young shoulder and make sure she finds her room.”  
Iroh Irons got up and assisted Ju Di Irons in a slow and careful retreat from the great hall.

13.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Lin Ling Liu (Ling)  
Human Ethnicity: Chinese  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Beijing, China, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 13.3  
Age when introduced: Dead  
Role: Planetary Architect
> 
> Character: Ju Di Irons (Ju Di)  
Human Ethnicity: Chinese  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Ba Sing Se, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 13.3  
Age when introduced: 69  
Role: Irons Family Member
> 
> Character: Iroh Irons  
Human Ethnicity: Chinese  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Ba Sing Se, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 13.3  
Age when introduced: 15  
Role: Irons Family Member


	42. Episode 13.4 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Pern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Chief Flight Specialist travels to Pern to discuss a project proposal with the mayor of Pern...
> 
> _“Now you see what I mean,” said Guth. “It would be a terrible thing to lose them.”_  
_Ocompo nodded, wiped her eyes, clearly a little choked up from the experience - the emotional impact of meeting Destim Ski in Guth’s memories. “This isn’t something I can do on my own, Mr. Guth. But I think my citizens would be interested. Can I talk to a few people and get back to you?”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This plot point harks back to Episode 9.7 and 9.11. It will become an important plot point in Episode 19...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 4: Pern

13.4  
Pern

Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth was flying one of the U.S.S. Hunter’s new long-range interceptors over a few of the cities of Cun Ling. Navigator Eli Strahl was riding second seat in the interceptor. After an extremely pleasant afternoon layover in Eli’s native Eden - an environment founded by Risans - they had taken to the skies for a rare flyover of many of the cities of Cun Ling. The city they were jointly seeking was Pern. Guth had an idea. Eli Strahl, powerfully telepathic, was aware of Guth’s idea and liked it - which was why he had asked to come along.  
There was no need for conversation.

Most of the fantastic cities of Cun Ling were combinations of great buildings and water. Some involved massive waterfalls incorporated into the skyscrapers. Ba Sing Se had its great wall. Numinor had its marble-clad pillars, temples and spires. Even Eden consisted of hundreds of skyscrapers with gardens on roofs, balconies, and layers of land bridges that connected one skyscraper to another at various levels. And lots and lots of apple trees…  
But Pern was different. In the place of giant buildings were mountains with large caverns - large openings - large enough for Guth to fly the new long-range interceptor into. By prearrangement, Guth parked the new interceptor inside one of these caverns.  
Pern was largely home to pilots - specifically pilots of various types of ultra-light aircraft. While there were a few statues of dragons, there was only one statue of a dragon with a rider - the large statue of Lin Ling Liu. She looked ridiculous astride a dragon and the statue was a bit of a failure despite (or possibly because of) the magnificence of the dragon. So much so that a second, life-size statue had been commissioned near the center of the city’s waterpark - a large collection of various, imaginative fountains. This smaller statue depicted Ling with a baby dragon in her lap and made the planet’s founder and namesake look like a little girl cuddling a beloved pet. It was a far more successful tribute.  
It was next to this statue that Dewayne Guth met with the city’s mayor, Tala Ocompo, a solidly built woman of Filipino descent.

“We are always happy to have visitors and most of our visitors are pilots,” Ocompo said. “I am far from the busiest mayor on Cun Ling. But I hope you don’t mind if we make this a breakfast meeting.”   
A number of vendors were providing a variety of food from mobile booths and carts. Guth followed the mayor toward one of these. She stopped to pick a number of small red berries from a tree. “Spring berries - in season - they’re very tasty,” she said.  
Guth obtained a bowl from a vendor and pulled down a number of the berries. He sat down at one of the tables near the central fountain with the mayor - both had plates full of fresh, locally grown fruits.   
“I think I’ve known about this place for many, many years, but I never visited here.”  
“You’re with Star Fleet?” Ocompo asked.  
“Eighteen years now. I joined when I was 19,” Guth replied.  
“I don’t recognize the uniform.”  
“For the past three years I’ve been flying for the Star Fleet Office of Judge Advocate General – these black uniforms are JAG uniforms.”  
“You grew up on Cun Ling,” said the mayor - it was a statement, not a question. “It’s not uncommon for us Trantor kids to get the spacebug. I served in Star Fleet for eight years before coming here.”  
“Actually, I’m from Wakanda,” Guth replied.  
“Ah, now that’s a beautiful city. I’ve been there a few times,” Mayor Ocompo rejoined. “So what brings you here instead of there?”  
“As I understand it, Pern just really has never taken off as a city,” said Guth. “It’s a place people leave.”  
“It sounds to me like you have something to sell me,” Ocompo said, warily. She bit into a starfruit and watched Guth’s face closely.  
“More of an idea. The thing is, there are no dragons. No one is interested in having mechanical dragons flying around and brewing up a living dragon in a test tube apparently started out as a failure and ended up as a felony.”   
The Mayor snorted – Guth’s summary was a bit too on the nose.  
“I don’t have any dragons to sell you,” Guth continued. “But I am concerned about a particular species of large bird. They’re rather frightening to look at, but they’re very intelligent - they can speak Vulcan and I have no doubt they can learn other languages. And they’re surprisingly gentle and sweet natured - at least toward vulcans. Not so gentle toward fish…”  
Ocompo looked at him with even more suspicion.  
Guth brought out a reader and pulled up video he had taken from inside the Sanctuary of the Waterbirds.  
Ocompo’s expression went from surprise to a quick smile as she heard Destim Ski speaking in Vulcan, then guarded as she watched video from the wagon’s internal sensors of the giant bird crawling into the wagon, then freeing itself again.

“From what I have learned, the planet these creatures live on is somewhat unstable. It would be a shame to lose them. I would like your permission to open negotiations about starting a colony of them here - probably along with their vulcan caretakers. This environment - the water - the caverns - the fish - it would be very familiar to them. If they could survive here… well… they’re just magnificent. I would feel so much better if their entire population wasn’t at the mercy of an unstable planet.”  
“So what would this process look like?” the mayor asked.  
“I really don’t know, Mayor,” Guth replied. “I’m a pilot, not a negotiator. I suppose I would get my flight director, Lieutenant Dolph… er, that is Lieutenant Commander Dolphin, involved. I just wanted to see if it was a possibility before I start involving other people. And all of that is assuming the waterbirds would even consider coming.”  
Mayor Ocompo still appeared unconvinced. Eli Strahl walked up to the table.  
“Mayor, this is Eli Strahl,” Guth said, “one of our navigators. And a betazoid. I asked him here so that he could show you something that Destim Ski showed me.”  
“Destim Ski?”  
“The waterbird you saw.” Guth tapped the reader. “His caretaker, a vulcan named Maa, acted as a conduit to allow me to see some of his memories. Eli can act as a conduit to show you my memories of Destim Ski, if you will allow him.”  
Eli sat down next to Mayor Ocompo. She looked at him suspiciously, but Eli was a remarkably good looking man and after a moment, she nodded.  
“Dewayne’s memories are somewhat faded and probably more than a little changed, but you should still get a fair picture of what he experienced. I will try to filter it as little as possible. But I’m not a vulcan. Betazoids converse using telepathy, but transferring experiences is really more of a vulcan ability.”  
Ocompo smiled, put somewhat at ease by Eli’s explanation. She closed her eyes, then gasped.  
“Now you see what I mean,” said Guth. “It would be a terrible thing to lose them.”  
Ocompo nodded, wiped her eyes, clearly a little choked up from the experience - the emotional impact of meeting Destim Ski in Guth’s memories. “This isn’t something I can do on my own, Mr. Guth. But I think my citizens would be interested. Can I talk to a few people and get back to you?”  
“Let’s not get too many people’s hopes up,” Guth rejoined. “If you can, please keep it a small circle at least until I get a ‘yes’ from the waterbirds.” 

13.4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Mayor Tala Ocompo (Tala)  
Human Ethnicity: Fillipino  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Pern, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 13.4  
Age when introduced: 53  
Role: Mayor of Pern


	43. Episode 13.5 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Trantor General Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Investigator Shran and Belo Cantys have good news!! And there is also some troubling news...
> 
> _Cantys and Shran could both hear Tauk sigh. “Two months’ special weapons and tactics training at Star Fleet Technical, nearly two years’ service in special assault tactics, not to mention a sniper with 30 years’ service for the Andorian Imperial Guard… Defeated by an electronic door lock..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This story arc tracks back to Episode 7.16 and 10.14.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 5: Trantor General Hospital

13.5  
Trantor General Hospital

Investigator Lynhart Shran’s hearing was undimmed by age. And while he was very happy about the noises coming from the doctor who was examining Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys, he was far less sanguine about the noises he overheard from the communicator of another patient in the doctor’s office.  
While the doctor was explaining that Dr. Pali’s treatment had helped Belo Cantys develop internal egg sacks and two of them had successfully fertilized, Shran could hear half of a conversation coming from a nearby room. He couldn’t make out what the other patient was saying, but he could hear the part of the conversation coming from her communicator.

As soon as they had left the doctor’s office, Shran spotted a stairwell and drew Cantys into it with him.   
“I’m not really in a mood to climb 400 flights of stairs…” Cantys teased.  
“Boss, are you reading me?” Shran said, thereby activating the communicator embedded in his chest.  
“Tauk here, Shran. T’Lon is on leave. I take it you got good news?”  
“And bad. I caught a coded transmission from one of the other patients. She must be a ranking blue helmet. Parts of the city are being sectored off. A dead romulan, four dead humans and 37 dead andorians.”  
“Trantor has a police department, Lynhart. The biggest in the known galaxy. I’m sure they can handle 42 bodies,” came Tauk’s response. “Enjoy your leave. Spread your good news. Let’s leave local problems to the local constabulary.”  
“Okay, boss,” Shran replied. “But write this down somewhere so I don’t have to say it again later: This ain’t a local problem. These aren’t the first to die and they won’t be the last. Unless my instincts are way off, we’re in for a bloodbath - blue, red and green.”  
Cantys could hear Tauk cough a few times through the communicator embedded in Shran’s chest. The other end of such conversations tended to be muffled and barely discernible to those nearby, but living around these internal communicators trained everyone to listen carefully.  
Tauk swallowed something, then said, “I trust your instincts, Lynhart. I’ll inform Pep. Let’s not tell the others just yet. Especially not the judge. She has carried enough of the galaxy’s problems for now. Pep will know what to do about it. Keep your ears and eyes open, but don’t go snooping. Remember - you’re on leave. Conference mode, Shran, Cantys.”  
Cantys’ communicator came alive, bringing her into the conversation so she didn’t have to strain her ears.  
“Cantys, make sure Lynhart stays out of detective mode and has a good time,” Tauk continued. “I’ll make that an order if I have to.”  
“You can take the mode out of the man…” Cantys started. “No, wait, you can take the man out of the mode… I never get these human aphorisms right…”  
Tauk laughed and coughed a little more. “Just have fun and make sure he does too. Stay out of dangerous places. Tauk out.”

A moment later, Cantys called for Tauk again: “Um, Director…”  
“Did you get into some place dangerous, Cantys? I thought I just gave you an order…”  
“Um… well… We’re in this stairwell and it’s restricted access to get back onto this floor. And we’re on about the 400th floor… can you help us?”  
Cantys and Shran could both hear Tauk sigh. “Two months’ special weapons and tactics training at Star Fleet Technical, nearly two years’ service in special assault tactics, not to mention a sniper with 30 years’ service for the Andorian Imperial Guard… Defeated by an electronic door lock. All right, give me a few minutes. Shran, don’t blow the door off its hinges…”

13.5


	44. Episode 13.6 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Trantor Metropolitan Museum of Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Pep and other crew members make several discoveries at the Trantor Metropolitan Museum of Art...
> 
> _“EUREKA!!!” Pep exclaimed loudly, frightening several of the other visitors. “I found it!!!” _  
_Boles, K’rok, Salazaar and even Phillips and Moon bustled over to him. “Found what?” asked Salazaar._  
_Pep gestured to one of the most absurd statues yet of Lin Ling Liu, made of wood, bathing in a waterfall, coyly posed, shrubbery growing from her head instead of hair. Like most statues of the planet’s founder, it was far from entirely successful. “Eureka,” Pep explained._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Of course I had to work an art museum into this story...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 6: Trantor Metropolitan Museum of Art

13.6  
Trantor Metropolitan Museum of Art

On the impossibly large top floor of another skyscraper in another part of Trantor, Commander David Pepper was enthusiastic about a sculpture exhibit that had Transporter Specialist K’rok, Lt. Cmdr. Mlady, Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar, Ensign Ethan Phillips and 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek profoundly bored. Only Dr. Napoleon Boles showed some interest in the many individual pieces in this holographic exhibit. Because the sculptures were holograms, there were no ropes or boundaries between the visitors to this exhibit and the sculptures.  
People were welcome to touch these sculptures because there was no way they could permanently damage them. It was entirely possible to break the more delicate sculptures or deform them, depending on the material used in the original sculpture. As soon as the person who did this damage moved on, the hologram would simply refresh the simulated replica to its initial condition.  
And Boles was touching and breaking everything, feeling how each sculpture was made, interested in the way the materials responded, if they could be broken or deformed, what the inside looked like, whether there were layers of other materials, the same material, or if the statue was hollow.  
The Hunter’s crew were far from the only people on this floor - there were easily several hundred. Mlady, uncomfortable in crowds, stuck close to Pep. Boles studied each statue with interest, but kept an eye on the group and managed to stay roughly in the middle of the group. K’rok had taken to watching Boles and stayed with him. Phillips and Moon trailed the group, making fun of some of the statues and trying unsuccessfully to conceal their irreverent laughter.  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar, trailing Pep and Mlady, shook his head slowly, taking in the forest of statues. Not entirely under his breath, he said in his Puerto Rican accent, “The 15,000 statues of Lin Ling Liu. Only it’s more like 15 million…”

“EUREKA!!!” Pep exclaimed loudly, frightening several of the other visitors. “I found it!!!”

Boles, K’rok, Salazaar and even Phillips and Moon bustled over to him. “Found what?” asked Salazaar.  
Pep gestured to one of the most absurd statues yet of Lin Ling Liu, made of wood, bathing in a waterfall, coyly posed, shrubbery growing from her head instead of hair. Like most statues of the planet’s founder, it was far from entirely successful. “Eureka,” Pep explained.  
A label hovering next to the statue displayed the word: “EUREKA.”

Pep’s crewmates looked at him, blankly.  
“Okay, the 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling…” Pep started. “There are actually only 14,767 cities in the official roster. And some cities are obviously missing - hidden cities: Eureka… th’Istel… Puk… Gondolin… Atlantis… The 233 Lost Cities of Cun Ling. And here is a clue that they might actually exist. People go to these places to disappear…”

Lt. Cmdr. Mlady was distracted and had wandered to the window nearby. Trantor was different from the other cities. While most of the 15,000 cities were, as yet, sparsely populated, nearly three billion people lived in Trantor, making it the largest city in the Alpha Quadrant. Trantor was the administrative hub of Cun Ling - home to the planetary commission that maintained the vast machines in the chasms that held the planet together. Home to the 46th (and second largest) circuit court of the Federation Tribunal. Home to a vast education system, law, engineering, medicine and far more. And home to skyscrapers so tall that the upper floors were pressurized and shielded from solar radiation. From this top floor of the Trantor Metropolitan Museum of Art (commonly referred to as TIMA), Mlady could see those giant skyscrapers carefully spaced so that downtown buildings like this one were not in perpetual shadow.  
A burst of activity closer to the ground caught Mlady’s attention - a flock of Trantor police interceptors hovering around an industrial area. Dozens of interceptors swiftly became hundreds.   
“Something’s wrong,” she said, interrupting Pep’s musings about lost cities.   
Pep and the others joined her at the window.   
“The Trantor police are shutting down a fairly large section of the city,” Mlady continued.   
“Tauk,” Pep called, activating the communicator embedded in his chest. “Are you aware of something going on that would have the Trantor blue helmets shutting down part of the city?”  
“I was just talking with Investigator Shran…” came Tauk’s voice.  
“Hang on Tauk,” said Pep. “Conference mode, crew in six meter proximity. Okay, go ahead, Tauk”  
“Lynhart was just telling me he overheard a coded message,” Tauk continued. “Apparently the Trantor police just found a dead romulan, a few dead humans and a lot of andorian corpses. Lynhart says it’s probably not the first and won’t be the last. He seems to think this is something big.”  
“How does Shran know Trantor police code?” K’rok asked.  
“I’d be astonished if he didn’t,” said Pep. “Lenny has a way of arming himself with the knowledge he needs for his trade. He’s not just a great shot with a phaser - he’s a remarkable sleuth.”  
“Which means if he thinks this is big…” started Boles.

“He is very probably right,” Tauk concluded.

13.6


	45. Episode 13.7 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: The Homely House, Numinor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Finrod joins the crew of the U.S.S. Hunter for dinner at the Homely House in Numinor for a visit with his half sister, Sif.
> 
> _Finrod leaned conspiratorially across the table, spoke with what he thought at the moment was a quiet voice to Kenny Dolphin. “So tell me, how do you put up working with all these hybrids?”_  
_“Finrod!!” Dr. Sif was mortified._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Finrod Felagund is my favorite of J.R.R. Tolkien's characters - not the least because he plays a harp (I play a 32-string Celtic harp) - but mostly because he is the elf who discovers and befriends the race of men and invites them to live in his kingdom. Among Tolkien's elves, Finrod seems uniquely humble, kind and wise. 
> 
> So of course, my Finrod is a bit of an ass.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 7: The Homely House, Numinor

13.7  
The Homely House, Numinor

Finrod was nothing short of astonished to have been personally given a week of leave by Planetary Commission Chairman LaDonna Wu. But it was good to have some time with his half-sister. Unlike red-headed Sif, Finrod had dark hair, but his skin, like hers, was very light and his spots unusually small, appearing more like freckles along the sides of his head and neck.   
Finrod had never taken the time to have a family – planetary engineers were by far the busiest people on Cun Ling and small problems could grow very quickly to become literally earth-shattering. As a result, planetary engineers preferred to spend most of their time with other planetary engineers. Layers of independently redundant systems helped prevent catastrophic failure of the planetary structure. But the general public didn’t really need to know just how close the planet and its massive population had come, on a few occasions, to utter annihilation.

The Homely House was a relief from the marbled magnificence of Numinoran architecture. It was not one building, but an expanse of several interconnected buildings woven in and out of a vast garden in a dell on the southwest side of Numinor, tucked away so that the great marble and limestone spires of the main city were hidden behind the landscape.   
While some effort had gone into attracting vulcans and vulcan hybrids to staff the Homely House, the majority of the staff were either trill or bolian. Like his half-sister, Finrod was an un-joined trill. He was pleasantly surprised at the size of the party that had commandeered one of the large dining rooms of the Homely House. A party this large merited its own dedicated cooks and servers. The kitchen was built right into the dining room. The boar meat on the spit had been replicated - but replicated raw and had been cooked slowly with fresh herbs and spices rubbed in.  
The tables and walls were real wood and the ales and meads were brewed locally and served in tankards made of treated wood. Every effort had been made to create an authentic environment with fresh, locally produced foods (except for the meat, which, like most replicated meats, had started as bean curd.)

Nearly a third of the Hunter’s crew were present, including all the senior staff with the exception of Lt. Tauk, who was, at the moment, in command of the Hunter in orbit of Cun Ling. Finrod was slightly worried about his half-sister living and working among so many hybrids, but was impressed once he realized that Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin was, in fact, the notorious Dr. Kenny Dolphin, whose recent appearance on Subspace Radio Ivonovic still had the entire quadrant buzzing.  
Finrod had never heard of Justice Irons, but understood that Sif held the old woman in very high esteem. He was impressed with Minerva Irons’ remarkable beauty despite her evident age. There was a power and a magnificence about her - almost like a female version of Odin.

“What I want to know is how a family of trills ended up in Numinor,” said Dr. Napoleon Boles. “There are actually a few cities on this planet that were founded by trills.” Dinner had long been consumed and small groups at various tables were enjoying savory and relaxed conversation.  
“This place, actually this very room,” Sif replied. She gestured with a toasted ginger mustard cracker to a sign over the hearth that read _The Homely House_ and in smaller letters _Nargothrond_.   
“Finrod Felagund, King of Nargothrond,” Dolphin mused. He looked at Finrod. “So you were named after this room?”  
Finrod rolled his eyes.  
Sif nodded. “Our mother was a chef. She used to cook right over there - and in a few other rooms in this place. She met Finrod’s father in this room. He was a planetary engineer…”  
“Who spent all his time in the chasms,” Finrod continued. “What little time he wasn’t down there seeing to the stability of the planet, he was in Trantor for training or planning meetings. Eventually he moved there, but mother wouldn’t leave this place.”  
“Mother had already moved on,” Sif said, picking up the story. “My father was a server here. They moved back to T-Prime to take care of his parents.”  
“My father also moved back to T-Prime with a new wife,” Finrod continued. “Another engineer. They had learned so much working in the chasms that they were able to get good engineering jobs working for the mining consortiums back home. If you’re not a candidate for a symbiont and you aren’t from a family that owns the mines, you work in them all your life unless you can find a way out. That’s why you see so many trills working here,” Finrod concluded.  
The small group at Dr. Sif’s table - Finrod, Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin, 2nd Lt. T’Lon and Lt. Napoleon Boles were fairly deep into their cups. Finrod leaned conspiratorially across the table, spoke with what he thought at the moment was a quiet voice to Kenny Dolphin. “So tell me, how do you put up working with all these hybrids?”

“Finrod!!” Dr. Sif was mortified.

T’Lon turned toward Dolphin, raised her eyebrows.  
Napoleon Boles turned toward Dolphin as well. “I’d like to know that too, Dr. Kenny. How DO you manage to put up with all of us hybrids?”  
Voices at the other tables got just a little too quiet and their conversations disjointed as other members of the Hunter’s crew tried (and largely failed) to eavesdrop discretely.  
Dolphin laughed. “Well in your case, Napoleon, with superhuman effort…”  
Dr. Boles stuck out his blue tongue, briefly made a rude blue face, then smiled.  
“You know,” Dolphin continued, “I spent a decade trying to convince everyone that I have no bias against hybrids. But it really isn’t true when you get down to it. I think I was able to spot the sticking point - jealousy about enhanced abilities – an unfair advantage – because I secretly felt that way myself. Who couldn’t feel a little envious and resentful about Justice Irons? She’s only a quarter vulcan, but she’s lived forever and she’s just unbelievably beautiful.”   
“Pep is stronger than any orion or human and as fast as any andorian - which considering his size shouldn’t be physically possible. Buttans and his superhuman speed.. Shran and his superior eyesight and coordination.. Dr. Carrera, only an eighth vulcan, but off the charts genius.. All of them received genetic manipulation just to be able to survive their inherent genetic incompatibilities. You can’t tell me their enormous advantages are a product of random chance.”  
“Even you, Napoleon, totally off the charts in ingenuity, a tremendous graphic artist - sculpture, painting, holo-sketching…” Dolphin lost his train of thought, looked confused and then decided to take a long drink of the honey mead.  
“So do you think you’re somehow more virtuous than I am because your gifts - intelligence, emotional stability, whatever it is that makes you such a risk-taker – came from, as you would put it, a natural throw of the dice?” Boles asked.  
Dolphin set his flagon down and clutched both hands over his heart, wobbled dramatically (and more than a little drunkenly): “You wound me to my core. You wound me sir, you wound me…”  
Laughter could be heard from nearby tables where everyone had given up the pretense of not listening in.  
Boles threw back his head and laughed.   
Sif giggled in spite of her embarrassment.  
T’Lon’s studied look of long suffering, long absent, returned as she shook her head slowly.   
Finrod was clearly lost in thought, mulling the entire conversation over.

13.7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Finrod  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Trill  
Hometown/Homeworld: Numinor, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 13.7  
Age when introduced: 38  
Role: Planetary Engineer, Dr. Sif’s Brother


	46. Episode 13.8 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: The Blue Wraith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Johnny Canada is back. And he brings some news and something blue...
> 
> _Shran removed the phase pistols from his pockets, gave them back to Canada, who holstered them._  
_“You do realize that my partner had us covered the entire time..” Canada said._  
_“The blue girl?” Shran asked._  
_Canada turned to look at Shran, then turned suddenly and looked to his left, where Shran’s antennae were focused._  
_A young bolian woman was walking toward the group, her hands raised. Buttans Ngumbo was behind her..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
When I created Johnny Canada, I realized he was too good a character to just walk onto the stage as a covert operative. He had to keep coming back...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 8: The Blue Wraith

13.8  
The Blue Wraith

Investigator Lynhart Shran walked around outside, following the outside wall of the room of the Homely House in which the Hunter’s crew were still enjoying the aftermath of dinner with Dr. Sif.   
Footprints under the window sill. Shran drew his phaser, walked slowly toward the edge of the building, following the footprints.

“Hello again, old man,” came a familiar voice from behind him. “I know what your coat does, which is why I am aiming at your head. I’ll have that phaser now.”  
Shran froze, but did not offer his phaser. “Johnny Canada,” he said in his gravelly voice. “And just why are you following me?”  
“Just doing my job, Eliminator. Or is it Investigator now? Please don’t make me ask again for your weapon.”  
“That’s a very nice phase pistol,” came Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys’ voice from behind Canada. “Andorian manufacture? An antique. Please deactivate it. And the other one as well…”  
“I wouldn’t screw with that little girl, Canada,” Shran said, holstering his phaser and turning around slowly. “I’ll have those phase pistols again, please.”  
Canada smiled ruefully and held each pistol in his open hands. Shran took them and dropped them into the pockets of his overcoat.  
“I’m going to have to get out of the habit of underestimating you,” Canada said.  
“State your business, Canada. You deliberately let me see you through the window. You wanted me out here…”  
“Actually, I need to speak to your captain. If you would be so kind as to make the introduction,” Canada said.  
“In your capacity as a Blue Wraith?” Shran asked.  
Canada spread his hands out, looked down, smiled broadly, looked up again. “I’m not surprised you figured that out. I was kind of counting on it. About my pistols…”  
“After your conversation with the judge,” said Shran. He gestured toward the front of the building.

Canada walked in front as they rounded the corner to the veranda. Justice Minerva Irons and Commander David Pepper were seated in chairs near the front door, talking quietly.  
“Look who willingly walked into my arms,” Shran said.  
Pep and Irons both stood up.  
“He’s a Blue Wraith,” Shran continued.  
“Field Agent Johnny Canada, Trantor Police, Intelligence Division,” Canada said.  
“Show me,” said Irons.  
Canada rolled his eyes up, opened them wide, exposing the whites underneath the iris and pupil. The tiny tattoos would only be noticeable to someone who knew what to look for.  
“Tell me,” Irons continued.  
“Five of your crew members have been kidnapped in Trantor,” Canada said. “Ensign Tolon Reeves, Flight Specialist Joey Chin, and Tactical Specialists, Jarrong, Belo Rys and Belo Garr. I asked for this assignment because I have had previous dealings with your associate here.” Canada gestured with his head toward Lynhart Shran.  
“Lenny, you can give the man back his weapons,” said Pep. “Johnny, our director of ground operations just informed us that Reeves and his party disappeared from our sensors. It looks like they were beamed out.”  
Shran removed the phase pistols from his pockets, gave them back to Canada, who holstered them.  
“You do realize that my partner had us covered the entire time..” Canada said.  
“The blue girl?” Shran asked.  
Canada turned to look at Shran, then turned suddenly and looked to his left, where Shran’s antennae were focused.  
A young bolian woman was walking toward the group, her hands raised. Investigator Buttans Ngumbo was behind her.

“What was that you said earlier about underestimating us?” Shran said.

Canada called on another of his vast repertoire of disarming grins. Put his hands in his pockets. “I seem to recall making some such remark..”  
“Enough spy versus spy,” Minerva Irons said with some exasperation. “We have people in trouble. What do you know?”  
“Not very much, yet, your honor. We are asking you to keep your crew here in Numinor or return to your vessel for your own protection. I strongly suspect that the crewmembers taken were not the target – you are,” said Canada.  
“Those dead andorians yesterday,” said Shran. “Andoria First?”  
Canada nodded. “And a Star Fleet Intelligence operative – the romulan.”  
“Damn,” cursed Irons quietly. “He was one of our most valuable agents. What is the outlook for our people?”  
“I don’t think they are in Trantor anymore,” Canada said. “But I will have to return there to pick up the trail. If it is Andoria First, your people are not in for a pleasant time, but I don’t think they will be killed. Old andorian saying – live bait catches more folyprogs than dead bait. For now, I am taking lead on this investigation. Agent Anana Lynarr here will be your liaison until we have this resolved. I have been instructed to advise you not to run your own investigation…”  
“You don’t want to get between us and our people,” Shran said.  
“I have no intention of trying to stop you,” Canada rejoined. “As I said, I was instructed to advise you, Investigator. I learned the hard way that you are very much capable of taking care of yourself. But if you start filling my streets with bodies, we’re going to have a problem with that...”

13.8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Special Agent Anana Lynarr  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Bolian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Trantor, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 13.8  
Age when introduced: 21  
Role: Trantor Police, Intelligence Division


	47. Episode 13.9 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: An Imperial Audience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The newly acclaimed Andorian Emperor Sin IV entertains our old friend Emory Ivonovic... 
> 
> _The Emperor’s antennae focused on Ivonovic. He closed his blind eyes for a moment. “I have heard your broadcasts. I would not have thought you capable of being a man of few words.”_  
_“I adapt.”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I had big plans for Governor - now Federation Councilmember Ivonovic from the moment I introduced him in Episode 2. Episode 13 is a pivotal part of his story arc.
> 
> I also knew the blind emperor would have a big role...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 9: An Imperial Audience

13.9  
An Imperial Audience

Sin Shav, now Emperor Sin IV, was not much for standing in court on the Imperial Dias. His preference was to be in the Imperial Command and Control Center (commonly referred to as the Ice Room). Most meetings with him were held in the hallway outside Ice Room, which tended to keep these meetings short and to the point. Of the many visitors he had to deal with, he had afforded only three the pomp of a Court meeting – Minerva Irons, Vulcan Premier Saoron, and Federation Council Leader Ushi Irons. All other visitors who had been granted an imperial audience found that if they could not conclude their business within five minutes in a cold, breezy hallway, they would be shuffled off to deal with the Chancellor, who would in turn quickly shuffle them off to one of many imperial bureaucrats.  
Once word had spread about this imperial protocol, requests for imperial audiences dropped off sharply. However, today’s visitor – the only one scheduled for this day – had the emperor mildly curious.

“I am deeply honored to address the Andorian State and the people of Andoria,” said Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic, spreading his arms wide, hands at waist level, palms forward, fingers splayed, following the newly published protocol for informal imperial audiences. Despite the cold, Ivonovic had foregone an overcoat and had surrendered his jacket, wearing only a simple white shirt and gray pants. Simple, but highly polished black leather shoes.  
For a moment, Emperor Sin IV, clad in a mixture of white and ivory robes, simply stood and blindly regarded the man. Ivonovic knew he had only five minutes, but he maintained his pose with no sign of impatience, despite the cold breeze ruffling his silver hair and the sleeves of his white shirt. Sin Shav allowed nearly two of Ivonovic’s minutes to pass, then finally said, “Speak.”  
“You have a great friend, and I have a great friend,” Ivonovic said. “Our friends’ fates are tied together. And they are in distress. I know you are already aware that your friend, Justice Minerva Irons, has crewmembers who have been kidnapped by andorian traitors who act under the name Andoria First. My friend, Lieutenant Commander Kenny Dolphin, will be actively looking for them. I am certain you plan to help them. I have resources that may be able to assist you.”  
“You want something in return, beyond helping a few Star Fleet officers,” Shav said. It was not a question.  
“Only for another audience, after this matter is settled, to discuss politics,” Ivonovic replied.  
The Emperor’s antennae focused on Ivonovic. He closed his blind eyes for a moment. “I have heard your broadcasts. I would not have thought you capable of being a man of few words.”  
“I adapt.”  
“Commander Oshreb Sav is coordinating our response. Travel to Cun Ling. Coordinate with him. I will consider your request.”  
Ivonovic spread his hands wide, his hands again at waist level, fingers splayed. “It has been a great honor to address the Andorian State and the People of Andoria,” he said, taking a half-step back. “A very great honor,” he added.  
Emperor Sin IV turned briskly and re-entered the Ice Room.

13.9


	48. Episode 13.10 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Thumbnail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Ensign Tolon, three members of his tactical squad and the young pilot, Joey Chin are being held in an icy cold prison. They are not having a good time.
> 
> _Jarrong hid her face in the pilot’s hair, her breathing ragged, barely managing not to howl in anguish, her body wracked by the effort, a lifetime of terror, rage, helplessness and shame pouring onto the neck and shoulder of a man she barely knew..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is a tough scene. I mentioned early on that Jarrong and her cousins grew up in rough circumstances. With the exception of their past two years in Star Fleet, they have not had pleasant lives.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 10: Thumbnail

13.10  
Thumbnail

Tactical Specialist Jarrong could barely think. It was just too cold. At least she wasn’t hanging from the wall by manacles. A few skeletons were – she guessed these were andorian. She had no idea where the others were. She had gathered rags from around the room that had once been the clothing of previous prisoners, bundled herself into them as much as possible, curled into a ball and tried to stay warm. She knew somehow that if she fell asleep, she might not wake up. She had only a brief memory of being beamed off the street near a pub in Trantor along with her group and then gassed while still on the transporter pad. Had there been an andorian there? She seemed to remember two, but she might have been seeing double.  
A blood curdling scream of anguish roused her. She had nearly fallen asleep. She knew that if she could only sleep, this would all go away. Forever. The second scream had her wide awake and upright. She recognized the voice. Tolon. Her commanding officer.  
Jarrong rolled into a crouched fighting stance. This had the advantage of keeping her body curled to conserve what little heat she could. She shivered, which helped build up a little more warmth under the rags. She found herself wishing she had been wearing her uniform instead of Trantor civilian fashions. Two andorians appeared at the barred door of her cell. She deliberately avoided looking at them – only their cleated ice boots.   
As soon as one of them unlocked and opened the cage door, Jarrong took off like a spring, lunging toward her captors – only to be met with an andorian stunbludgeon in the center of her chest, delivering an electric shock that knocked her halfway back across the room. Her physiology did not handle cold well at all, but was good at handling electricity – instead of being burned at the point of contact as a human would have been, she was warmed as the electricity coursed through the mucous laced skin ridges. It still hurt and she could not take repeated shocks without damage to her system. Instinctively, she backed into a corner of the cell, crouched, appearing to cower. One thing Jarrong had lots of experience with was being a prisoner and being tortured – not as often as her cousins who were more obviously part bajoran. But enough to have developed prison survival skills.

“Stand up, cardassian,” said one of captors – the one with the stunbludgeon. “Unless you want the bajoran to die.” Jarrong stood up. Her two captors stepped out of the cell. The one gestured down the hallway with his stunbludgeon. She stepped out of the cell and walked in front. About a dozen meters down the hallway was another cell that contained her cousins, Tactical Specialists Belo Rys and Belo Garr along with the pilot, Flight Specialist Joey Chin.   
Jarrong paused only slightly and was rewarded with a rude and painful shock at a lower power setting in the middle of her back. Garr and Rys were huddled on either side of the human pilot – his arms around each of them – sharing his warmth with them. Humans had much better tolerance for cold than any other species she knew except for andorians – a higher body temperature. She found herself briefly envious of human adaptability to a much wider range of temperatures and atmospheric conditions than any other species she was aware of.

A few meters further was an open cell door with two more andorians standing guard. One of them ushered her inside. Ensign Tolon Reeves was tied to a chair, his head hanging. His left arm was unbound. His left thumb was bleeding profusely. This cell contained running water – icy cold, but clear. Jarrong took the cleanest rag she could find, quickly soaked it, then carefully compressed it around Tolon’s bleeding thumb – his thumbnail had been ripped out of its nailbed, shredding the top of his thumb.   
Tolon cried out in agony as Jarrong pressed the rag firmly around the wound to stop his bleeding and tied it tightly. She carefully avoided looking at her captors. She raised his arm and held it as high as she could to slow the bleeding. The rag quickly turned red – soaked with his blood.  
“Untie him and carry him back to your cell, cardassian,” said one of the andorians.   
“Keep your arm up,” Jarrong whispered to Tolon, then laid his left hand on top of his head. With tremendous effort, Tolon kept his left arm up while Jarrong freed his right arm and body from the chair. She carefully wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and lifted him from the chair with some effort. Tolon was a short man, but built like a fireplug – all muscle.  
Jarrong followed her captors back toward her cell. They stopped at the cell that contained her cousins, opened the door, ushered her in. Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Joey Chin all quickly got to their feet to help her carefully lower Tolon to the floor, his back against the wall. Jarrong gathered some rags, tied them together, tied one end to a manacle at the end of a chain on the wall, looped the other end and used this to keep Tolon’s left arm elevated. This cell also had running water and she cleaned a rag to the best of her ability and replaced the bandage on Tolon’s thumb. Tolon gasped in pain, but managed not to yell.  
Belo Rys curled up next to Tolon on his left side, wrapped her arms around him.  
“If this is what getting a promotion means, I don’t think I want one,” said Belo Garr.  
Tolon managed a smile, then looked at each of his team members. “Oh, it was very much worth it,” he croaked in a feeble voice.  
“What were they trying to get out of you?” asked Joey Chin.  
“Leverage,” Tolon answered, his voice strengthening a little. “I answered all their questions. It was just who our crew is and they already had our crew roster. They will be sending my thumbnail to our captain as evidence of their intentions. And evidence they have us.”  
“Where do you think we are?” asked Belo Garr. “Maybe one of the polar regions?”  
“Maybe,” said Joey Chin. “But somehow it doesn’t feel like we’ve gone anywhere.”  
“Certainly a lot colder than Trantor,” Jarrong remarked, shivering.  
Joey Chin walked over to her and hugged her. Jarrong started to draw away. She did not like being touched. But feeling his warmth, she pulled him closer, hugged him tightly, realized that he was deliberately warming her. It was like hugging a furnace. She marveled again at how warm humans were – even warmer than andorians. Like Justice Irons, Chin had strongly Chinese features. There was a rare gentleness and kindness to the pilot’s eyes. He had long, soft, straight black hair, much like Irons. Hair so black that it had a blue shine to it.  
Jarrong buried her face in Joey Chin’s hair and tried not to think too hard about the fact that aside from her cousins, she had experienced far more gentleness and kindness from humans than from cardassians or bajorans - even her own mother and father.  
Chin could feel the enormous effort Jarrong was putting into trying to maintain her composure. “Let it go,” he said softly, stroking her hair. “Just let it all go…”  
Jarrong hid her face in the pilot’s hair, her breathing ragged, barely managing not to howl in anguish, her body wracked by the effort, a lifetime of terror, rage, helplessness and shame pouring onto the neck and shoulder of a man she barely knew.

13.10


	49. Episode 13.11 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Lower Trantor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
U.S.S. Hunter Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs leads a rescue party through his native lower Trantor in search of clues to the location of their kidnapped fellow crew members...
> 
> _They say all canals lead to Trantor,” said Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs. Hobbs had a thick Scottish accent heard in several of the oldest areas of Trantor – the warehouse, transportation and machinery centers that supported the planetary engineers. These were the grimy parts of the federation’s greatest city and a significant portion of the early population had been Scottish. “What they don’t tell you is that all tunnels lead to Trantor as well...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is the reason I had to go back and figure out what hometown and planet each character came from. Almost as many of the crew are from Cun Ling as from Earth.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 11: Lower Trantor

13.11  
Lower Trantor

While 2nd Lt. T’Lon was officially in charge of the rescue mission on the ground, she had allowed Investigator Lynhart Shran to take the lead and put together the response team. Shran had recruited three Trantor natives, Flight Specialist Dih Terri as well as Tammy Brazil and Thomas Hobbs from the engineering department. Shran had also included the bolian field agent from the Trantor Police, Anana Lynarr, with the promise that she would not interfere with the Hunter’s investigation but would help coordinate with the Trantor Police. Investigator Buttans Ngumbo was the seventh and final addition. No one was in uniform - all were wearing casual clothing in the style popular in Trantor - fewer earth tones with a greater emphasis on blues, grays and whites.  
Shran had banished Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys to the Hunter to work with Lt. Tauk to process information the ground team gathered and uploaded.

“They say all canals lead to Trantor,” said Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs. Hobbs had a thick Scottish accent heard in several of the oldest areas of Trantor – the warehouse, transportation and machinery centers that supported the planetary engineers. These were the grimy parts of the federation’s greatest city and a significant portion of the early population had been Scottish. “What they don’t tell you is that all tunnels lead to Trantor as well.” Hobbs was middle aged with gray eyes, gray hair and a gray mustache and goatee. At the moment, he was leading the Hunter’s team through Lower Trantor toward a series of gates.  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil had also grown up in Lower Trantor, as these sectors were referred to – quite literally in the lowest lying areas of the city, below the waterline of the central and outer lakes. Elevators and tunnels ran from these areas directly down underneath the lakes to the chasms on all sides of Trantor so that the enormous machinery that engineered and maintained the planet could be quickly and efficiently moved in and out of the chasms for repair and renovation.  
“What I don’t understand is how they got around the transporter blocks,” said Agent Lynarr, “No one should be able to transport anything inside Trantor – in or out – without an approved transit code to get through the shielding.”  
“Ah now lass,” Hobbs replied, “Anything can be had in Trantor for the right price. Even your precious transporter codes. That’s our first stop – the Trantor underground market. The market master keeps tight control over the most valuable commodities, and transporter codes are right at the top. And they deal strictly in ferengi currency.”  
Dih Terri nervously brought her hair down and her collar up to cover her spots. Lower Trantor was a place she had avoided all her life. “I’m not sure how much good I can be down here. I grew up in Middle Trantor in the fountain district. I think this is the first time I’ve ever been at street level,” she said.  
“Then keep your eyes peeled, your collar up and your hand on your phaser,” Lynhart Shran replied.

A fair amount of traffic was passing through a series of turnstiles at 16 gates – 8 inbound, 8 exits. The inbound gates were heavily guarded.  
“Does anyone ever try to get in by jumping the exit turnstiles?” asked Dih Terri, nervously.  
Shran pointed toward sniper windows above the gates. “They might, but I doubt they would be conscious when they get in,” he said.  
As the party stepped up to one of the turnstiles, Hobbs offered seven slips of gold-pressed latinum to one of the guards, who deposited it, then held out his hand and said, “Your weapons, please.” Hobbs responded by depositing seven strips of latinum in the guard’s hand. The guard stepped aside, allowing the Hunter’s hunting party to enter the Trantorian Underground.

\- * -

Deep inside the Trantor Underground, more latinum was on offer, this time from a friendly looking human with a brown beard and friendly brown eyes to a number of extremely seedy-looking ferengi. These slips and strips of latinum not only made them talkative, but also purchased evidence from the ferengi, including a bloody human thumbnail…

\- * -

In another part of the Trantor Underground, still more gold-pressed latinum was changing hands – only instead of slips or strips, a single bar of gold-pressed latinum was on offer. A small party consisting of four andorians, two cardassians and a well-dressed human were allowed into a meeting that they had not been invited to. A room full of andorian workers turned a baleful eye on the human and cardassian interlopers, only to be astounded as they and their andorian escort walked straight through the room toward the stage where the speaker that the workers had come to listen to, stepped aside deferentially…

\- * -

In yet another part of the Trantor Underground latinum was not on offer. A contingent of 30 Andorian Imperial Guard troopers had overwhelmed an outpost guarded by a small group of humans and bajorans – most of whom were now dead, all with extensive phaser burns. Commander Oshreb Sav was using his Ushan-Tor to remove clothing piece by piece from the two surviving human prisoners. He wasn’t asking questions… Yet… Just making it clear how sharp and effective the andorian ice-cutting blade could be. Over the years he had found that humans in particular did not like being naked and they tended to be far more cooperative under interrogation after their clothing had been stripped from them.

\- * -

In the Market District in the middle of the Trantor Underground, Thomas Hobbs was offering additional latinum to a representative of the market master in exchange for information.

In four different transactions under Trantor, two fueled by gold-pressed latinum, one enabled by latinum and fueled by soaring rhetoric and one driven by combined phaser fire and knife work, the same name came up: The hidden city of th’Istel…

13.11


	50. Episode 13.12 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: The Painted Spectre by General Suk Sin Soor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The clue to the location of the prisoners from The Hunter lies hidden in a 3,000 year old poem in an antique Andorian language - Lak - and its boustrophedonic author, General Suk Sin Soor...
> 
> _“And the lines he wrote in reverse are always the lines that contain the words ‘north’ and ‘south’ or ‘southern’,” said Pep. “Meaning that if our andorian friends are digging for the lost city under the South Pole…”_
> 
> _“They’re digging in the wrong place!” said Shran, Tauk, T’Lon, Hobbs and Buttans in unison._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Okay - I borrowed everyone's favorite line from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Far from the first thing I've borrowed for this story...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 12: The Painted Specter by General Suk Sin Soor

13.12  
The Painted Specter by General Suk Sin Soor

The Painted Specter by General Suk Sin Soor

_ “…was I sought, never a key, always the lightning that revealed itself the wraith I chased. Chased to obliteration the wraith or myself."_

Commander David Pepper was in the captain's chair on the bridge of the U.S.S. Hunter, reciting poetry from memory:

_ “Although there was my love and there would be my heirs, I never sought th’Istel. It was…_

_ “…painted specter I followed, followed I thought to the end of my days._  
_ “Followed ever south with my dreams. Tracked through den and valley. Tracked through burning wastes and…"  
  
_ 2nd Lt. T'Lon, Lynhart Shran and the rest of the U.S.S. Hunter's hunting party were seated at a table in the Trantor Underground, listening intently for clues:   
  
_ “…woke screaming from this…_

_ “….that revealed this phantom I had for so long chased until south I could go no more and only when…_  
  
“…only look to the north. All my dreams were north. My eyes could only see north. North I only could go.  
_ “But the painted specter had me in its grasp along with all the treasures it foretold_  
_ “Deep underground, the ice, the cold, the walls lined with precious southern stones_  
_ “More wonderful to behold than all the fleshly beauty I had dreamed to touch in my youth_  
_ “And there my lust exhausted itself finally in a cold southern cavern of marble and cascades of precious stones_  
_ “A cavern made for mad lords to lust to own but could not be owned_  
_ “The stones could not be taken north_  
_ “The marble floor could not be reaped_  
_ “The lust lingering beauty of cold stone and lifeless_  
_ “And at long last I caught glimpse of the painted specter I had given my life to capture_  
_ “Its beauty, its evil, its cold heartless face_  
_ “And I reached out to grasp it and cut my hands on the sharp edges of ice_  
_ “As the mirror shattered and I and the specter shattered with it_  
_ “At th’Istel, at the end of my dreams  
_ _ “But at long…”_

“That’s all there is to it?” asked Investigator Lynhart Shran after several seconds of silence.  
“That is all there is to it,” Commander Pepper replied.  
Shran and the remainder of the U.S.S. Hunter’s hunting party were seated at a workman’s lunch station in the Trantor Underground, at which they were enjoying a surprisingly tasty, if suspiciously greasy lunch along with nearly a hundred machine workers and wranglers. Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs had recommended this place and had secured a reasonably private booth for the Hunter’s crew – he still had a few friends who worked in the underground and apparently a relative who managed this food court.  
The crew members had all heard Pep reciting the fragments of the only poem known to be penned by General Suk Sin Soor. Many other works had been attributed to the legendary andorian general, but The Painted Specter was the only one that could be authenticated and none of the disputed works came close to matching the general’s command of Lak, an antique andorian language.  
“You should hear it in the original Lak,” Pep continued. “The language ripples and shimmers, particularly the long, unbroken fragment at the end.”  
“Another time,” said 2nd Lt. T’Lon. “This poetic fragment sounds like very little to base a lost city on.”  
“It is the progenitor of the legend,” Pep replied. “The oldest known reference to it and many scholars believe General Soor was writing not about an actual underground city, but an inner struggle. Of the many aphorisms attributed to him, the one that is probably most well authenticated is: ‘To conquer the world you must first conquer yourself.’ So th’Istel became, in legend, a holy place. A place to rid yourself of inner demons, conquer the soul, and emerge a true warrior, ready to serve the andorian people and the andorian state selflessly. That poem launched a literary and cultural movement that has lasted nearly 3,000 years.”  
“It sounds like he’s describing being at the South Pole,” observed Lt. Tauk, who was monitoring this conversation from the Hunter’s ground operations center, along with Belo Cantys. “‘Followed ever south with my dreams… My eyes could only see north. North I only could go’…” Tauk quoted.  
“And that is probably what our Andorian friends think as well if they have gotten this far,” said Pep. “Unless they have a scholar of the literary classics with them who has actually looked at the original work. General Suk Sin Soor was a boustrophedonic writer.”  
“A what?” asked Shran.  
“Meaning he wrote every other line backward,” said Tauk.  
“And the lines he wrote in reverse are always the lines that contain the words ‘north’ and ‘south’ or ‘southern’,” said Pep. “Meaning that if our andorian friends are digging for the lost city under the South Pole…”

“They’re digging in the wrong place!” said Shran, Tauk, T’Lon, Hobbs and Buttans in unison.

“I will need to provide this information to Agent Canada,” said Agent Lynarr.  
“Of course, Anana,” said Pep. “So T’Lon, Lenny, what would you like to do next? Fancy a trip to the North Pole of Cun Ling?”  
“Not just yet,” Shran said. He glanced at T’Lon, who displayed no discernible expression.  
“Why is that, Lynhart?” Tauk asked.  
“It’s just… too easy,” Shran concluded. “We aren’t the first people to go looking for th’Istel and if it were that easy to find, it would have been found by now, literary scholar or no. We need to consider the other clues... Like the precious gems that could not be removed from the walls…”  
“You’re not going to find that anywhere on this planet,” remarked Hobbs. “It takes certain conditions for gems to grow – millions of years – and Cun Ling is less than 300 years old.”  
“An andorian would have less than no use for such baubles,” said Tali Shae, who had been listening in from the bridge of the U.S.S. Hunter.  
“Precious stones in the Lak language does not refer to what you think of as gem stones,” said Pep. “A better translation would be stones that contain high amounts of ore – iron, zinc, bauxite, copper…”  
“Iron and marble that cannot be removed…” mused Hobbs, his Scottish brogue just a little thicker than normal.  
“What are you thinking, Tommy?” Pep asked.  
“th’Istel might be closer than we think,” Hobbs said. “Most cities on Cun Ling were built on a single asteroid – a large body. But Trantor is built on eight of them. And you may have noticed the really tall skyscrapers – the ones that reach so far up into the atmosphere they need their own solar shielding and have the upper floors pressurized – they’re located on the north and south ends of the city. If they were built anywhere else, the city would be perpetually in their shadow…”  
“The asteroids those buildings are anchored to…” T’Lon started.  
“Lumps of solid iron embedded in marble,” Hobbs said. “Nothing else could hold them. And there is iron that cannot be removed and marble that cannot be reaped. Right under the north and south poles of this city…”  
Lynhart Shran turned toward Agent Anana Lynarr from the Trantor Police Intelligence Division. “I’m sure our scanners won’t be able to penetrate the city’s shielding. Think you can get us some maps of Trantor Underground – with particular details about the north end?”  
Before Lynarr could answer, Dih Terri spoke up. “It won’t be as accurate as the maps from the Trantor Mining Consortium. My father had details from those maps all over the walls of his office.”  
“Turns out you were useful after all,” Shran said with a smile. “Think dear old dad will forward the maps to you that we need?”

\- * -

“They want Lieutenant Commander Dolphin? Why him?”   
At the same time that Pep was reciting ancient andorian poetry to the hunting party, Justice Minerva Irons and Kenny Dolphin were in the captain’s office, having a conversation with Johnny Canada, who was at a precinct station near the Trantor Underground Market. Canada had already arranged for Tolon’s excised left thumbnail to be beamed up to the Hunter’s medical bay, where Ensign Chrissiana Trei and Dr. Jazz Sam Sinder were analyzing it.

“Andoria First suffered a major blow – 37 dead andorians in the streets of Trantor. They need a big win to even the score. According to my sources – and they are usually reliable – it appears the commander of the I.G.V. Ravonnelle lost her command during the battle over Rings. The story goes that her first officer stunned her with a phaser, assumed command and warped out of the way of Lieutenant Commander Dolphin’s attack at the last second. She escaped from her own brig, commandeered a shuttle and made it to an Andoria First enclave. Apparently the entire Andoria First movement has taken the incident personally and they really want your director of flight operations. They would see it as a symbolic victory because of his notoriety both as a philosopher and as a pilot. My sources would be the go-between in this swap of Dr. Dolphin in exchange for Tolon, Chin, Jarrong and the Belo siblings.”  
“Can you negotiate the exchange on our behalf, Agent Canada?” Justice Irons asked.  
“I strongly advise against trying to make this exchange.”  
“I’m just playing for time,” Irons said...  
“That is a very dangerous game,” Canada said.  
“What would you recommend?”  
“Bargain for his life, for a fair trial. If you do that, you might get another fingernail or two before they start sending you mutilated bodies, which is what you will probably get if you give in too easily. We have to make this appear to be real – and they know you are looking for them. They won’t give you many chances.”

13.12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: General Suk Sin Soor  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Laikan, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 13.12  
Age when introduced: Dead  
Role: Poet


	51. Episode 13.13 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Cardassian Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Jarrong is barely functioning after being tormented by her andorian abductors for days on end. She is still better off than her commanding officer, Ensign Tolon, who is nearing the end of his rope...
> 
> _Jarrong finally gave into some fantastic dream in which a very large cardassian was gently taking Ensign Tolon from her failing arms. In her dream, Belo Rys took her arm and helped her move forward down the hall. A giant cardassian lumbered in front of her, carrying Tolon. Or was it Pep who was carrying Tolon?_  
_It had to be Pep. For some reason he was about a half-foot shorter and had cardassian neck ridges. But if a giant cardassian could rescue her and take her half-bajoran commanding officer from her arms, Pep could grow neck ridges. And be a little shorter._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I hope this scene gets across how deranged a person can become from just a few days of the kinds of torment that we have on offer in Guantanamo Bay... I am not usually political, but impossible to avoid in this case.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 13: Cardassian Pepper

13.13  
Cardassian Pepper

They had taken Flight Specialist Joey Chin. That was all Jarrong could think about. With a combination of cold blasts of air, changes in lighting including bright lights and occasional blasts of unbearable noise, her andorian captors had made it largely impossible for her and her crewmates to sleep.  
Tolon's thumb had turned black and his hand was quickly turning. If he were fully human, the rot would have spread into his blood stream by now, but bajorans were exceptionally resistant to infection and this was all that was keeping him alive - barely. That and there was a native toughness to the man. But he was clearly nearing the end of his endurance.  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys and Belo Garr were little better off than Jarrong. All three had huddled around Ensign Tolon Reeves in an effort to keep him warm and conscious. They had retreated into emotional shells they had created long ago in order to survive harsh cardassian prisons on CIO 19 (Cardassia Imperial Outpost 19) where they had been born and grew up.

The cell door lock rattled, then the door opened with a bang. Two andorians briskly entered the cell. "Get up, cardassian," said one of them. "You're going to have to carry your friend."  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong summoned the last of her strength, wrapped Tolon's left arm around her shoulder and lifted him. She trudged out of the cell, her cousins ahead of her. Her mind suddenly became alert when she heard the andorians quietly talking behind her:  
"Where is the other one? There was one that was part human, part vulcan."  
"Not in any of the cells we've seen so far, must be ahead. Take point."  
Jarrong moved carefully to her right as one of the andorians squeezed around her, then in front of her cousins. He put up a clenched fist and the group jolted to a halt. Jarrong could see him adjusting the stunbludgeon to its highest setting, which would deliver the same amount of force on contact as a phaser set to kill. Just ahead was the open cell door to the cell in which Tolon had been tortured. Another andorian was standing guard at the door. She challenged the andorian at the front of the line.

"I wasn't told the prisoners were to be moved..."  
"You mean they tell you everything?" said the andorian in front of her. He stepped forward casually. "Because they never tell me anything..." He completed the sentence by delivering a death blow to his interlocutor with the stunbludgeon.   
Crackling electric buzzing and the smell of charred flesh.   
The andorian door-guard's body slammed back against the cell door and several of her teeth exploded out of her mouth from the massive electric shock delivered by the stunbludgeon at full power.

The andorian carrying the stunbludgeon surged into the cell and Jarrong could hear screaming from within as at least two more people were dealt fatal electric shocks.

Jarrong's heart sank as two more andorians came quickly from the other end of the hall, phasers drawn. More people were behind them. She closed her eyes and sagged against the freezing wall of the tunnel, barely managing to keep from dropping Tolon.  
As if in a dream, she heard a voice say, "Let me have the bajoran, little sister."  
Jarrong finally gave into some fantastic dream in which a very large cardassian was gently taking Ensign Tolon from her failing arms. In her dream, Belo Rys took her arm and helped her move forward down the hall. A giant cardassian lumbered in front of her, carrying Tolon. Or was it Pep who was carrying Tolon?  
It had to be Pep. For some reason he was about a half-foot shorter and had cardassian neck ridges. But if a giant cardassian could rescue her and take her half-bajoran commanding officer from her arms, Pep could grow neck ridges. And be a little shorter.  
Just ahead of cardassian Pep, another man was carrying another person. Bare legs and feet dangling from his left arm. A head rolling back and forth on his right arm. A cascade of impossibly fine, black hair. So black that it had a blue shine to it.

13.13


	52. Episode 13.14 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: The Assault on th'Istel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
T'Lon leads the U.S.S. Hunter's hunting party into the caverns under Trantor seeking their captured cremates and the hidden city of th'Istel...
> 
> _A broad area of steps led down to a large opening. Before T’lon’s group could enter, phaser fire came lacing out. One beam cut a broad mark into T’Lon’s cheek, and sliced through her ear on its way up, where it cut into Midshipman Tammy Brazil’s chest._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Flight Specialist Joey Chin is a distant relative to Justice Minerva Irons. This scene is a major beat in the evolution of Emory Ivonovic...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 14: The Assault on th'Istel

13.14  
The Assault on th’Istel

Commander Oshreb Sav had sent a small contingent of his Imperial Guard forces to the South Pole of Cun Ling to dig for th’Istel, but he had little expectation they would find anything. With eleven squadrons of Imperial Guard Spelunkers at his command, he had troops to spare and the mission might at least divert some attention.  
Sav had no intention of sending a squadron of the Andorian Imperial Guard to go digging under Santa’s Workshop on the North Pole, rumors of reverse writing or no rumors. He had received information from more than one source that an Andoria First stronghold was being built deep in the Trantor Underground, near the north end of the city.  
The more reliable of these sources, the Trantor Police Intelligence Division, had agreed after negotiations between Sav and Trantor’s Mayor, Harry Issacs, to a three-pronged strategy. To put this strategy together, Commander Sav called a meeting with the key players in the north underground Trantor Police precinct. The squad room was cleared out to serve as their field operation headquarters.  
Commander David Pepper had beamed into the precinct to coordinate on behalf of Star Fleet. Special Agent in Charge Johnny Canada represented the Blue Helmets (Trantor Police Uniform Division). Commander Oshreb Sav represented the Andorian Imperial Guard. The three of them remained in the precinct to coordinate their respective forces. Maps provided by Dih Strangent, Flight Specialist Dih Terri’s father, a director in the Trantor Mining Consortium, were spread out in front of them. Dih Terri remained with Pep to help interpret the maps, which were insanely detailed.  
Markers on the maps denoted the positions of the AIG, the Blue Helmets and T’Lon’s small response team. At Shran’s recommendation, T’Lon had invited Lt. Napoleon Boles to take Terri’s place on the team.

Predictably, the plan went awry.

T’Lon’s team was supposed to enter the catacombs at the lowest level of th’Istel in secret, but someone had tipped off the Andoria First group about the impending attack and T’Lon and her group were surrounded by armed andorians and had to take cover.  
They were in a large open underground cavern with pillars of various sizes at irregular intervals holding up the ceiling. Lanterns high above provided dim, general lighting. Tabletops had been carved around these pillars at chest height for andorian use - since andorians rarely used chairs. 2nd Lt. T’Lon, Lt. Napoleon Boles, Investigators Lynhart Shran and Buttans Ngumbo, Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs, Midshipman Tammy Brazil and Agent Anana Lynarr of the Trantor Police Intelligence Division ducked and found themselves back to back dodging among a group of large pillars to avoid phaser blasts from the separatists.  
Adding Dr. Boles to the team proved fortunate as he was nearly as good with a phaser as Shran. Using a pencil thin beam that left tiny scorch marks on the granite and marble pillars but burned clothing and flesh, causing excruciating pain, Boles laid out a continuous web of phaser fire that served not only to incapacitate several andorians, but also kept them ducking behind pillars to avoid getting burned. Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs, although he took more time to draw a bead, turned out to be a fair shot with a phaser as well.

As soon as the first shots were fired, Commander Sav committed his forces, producing a storm of phaser fire that relieved the pressure from T’Lon’s team.  
“Disengage and head toward the catacombs,” T’Lon ordered. Boles was slow to respond, so she enforced the order by slugging him hard on his upper arm. Although he outranked her, he had agreed to come on the mission under the condition that it was her mission.  
A broad area of steps led down to a large opening. Before T’lon’s group could enter, phaser fire came lacing out. One beam cut a broad mark into T’Lon’s cheek, and sliced through her ear on its way up, where it cut into Midshipman Tammy Brazil’s chest.   
T’Lon shook her head, releasing a spray of green blood, then headed down the stairs toward the wall next to the opening. Brazil screamed in agony and crashed to the floor. Dr. Boles slung his phaser and lifted her effortlessly, carrying her down the stairs and against the wall. Boles was carrying a medkit and quickly began treating Brazil’s wound. He ripped her uniform away from her chest. Her right breast had been sliced nearly in half. Boles quickly reconfigured a dermal regenerator, hooking it into his phaser and began treating her breast with what appeared to be a phaser beam. “Emergency medical beamout! Boles, Brazil!” A moment later, they vanished.

T’Lon grasped Thomas Hobbs’ arm to stop him from firing into the catacombs. “NO SHOOTING BLIND!! They may be using our people as shields!” With a quick hand sign she ordered her team to line up on either side of the opening. While no more phaser beams were coming out of the hole, weapons fire could be heard inside. T’Lon brought out her tricorder and held it out into the opening, then brought it back and studied the readings.   
“Shran, Hobbs, Lynarr, guard the opening, watch our flank. Buttans, with me. Stay close to the wall.”

Within a few minutes the fighting died down as Commander Sav’s units easily overpowered and outgunned the Andoria First group. Commander Sav, Pep and Johnny Canada came forward from the precinct to vew the carnage. The Andorian Imperial Guard, unlike their Star Fleet and Trantor Police counterparts, did not hesitate to use deadly force. Nearly fifty andorians in various civilian clothing, most dressed as either mining engineers or support workers, lay dead or dying in the broad underground courtyard where the battle had taken place.

After a number of Imperial Guard Spelunkers had cleared the area of any potential threats, Pep, Sav and Canada approached the entrance to the catacombs where Lynarr, Shran and Hobbs were standing guard. Almost at that moment, T’Lon and Buttans emerged from the entrance to the catacombs, followed by two andorians and a cardassian. T’Lon’s face was bleeding and the top half of her right earlobe was missing.

Then a large cardassian emerged, carrying Ensign Tolon Reeves, who was barely conscious and moaning incoherently. Belo Garr and Belo Rys followed, supporting Jarrong between them. Jarrong could barely walk. She was shivering and evidently suffering from hypothermic shock.

Then, flanked by two more andorians, came Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic, tears in his eyes, streaming down his face. The front of his simple, but flawlessly tailored gray suit was matted with blood.

In his arms, Ivonovic carried the naked, dead and mutilated body of Flight Specialist Joey Chin.

13.14


	53. Episode 13.15 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Requiem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Although he was only a young enlistee in Star Fleet, Joey Chin's funeral becomes a state affair because of the enormous family he was part of and the terrible circumstances of his death. But that is not the end...
> 
> _A clearly distraught woman elbowed her way into the conversation. “I recognize you! You’re that horrible man who hates hybrids! Why are you here? What gives you the right?”_  
_Dolphin found himself responding: “Councilmember Ivonovic rescued our crew from Andoria First. He carried Joey’s body out…”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I had been building toward this episode since the beginning of Series 1 - the first clues are in Episode 2. It's an old canard. If I am going to use a pistol in act 3, I will show you the pistol hanging on the wall in act 1...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 15: Requiem

13.15  
Requiem

Ensign Tolon Reeves and Tactical Specialist Jarrong were both recuperating in Trantor General Hospital. Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys stayed with them. Because Lt. Tauk was restricted to shipboard duty, they insisted that 2nd Lt. T’Lon attend the funeral to represent the Ground Operations Department. The U.S.S. Hunter’s transporter systems chief, Midshipman Tammy Brazil, was also recovering in Trantor General with Lt. Napoleon Boles in attendance. The Trantor doctors were fascinated with the field dressing Dr. Boles had applied that had made it possible for her breast to heal. From the shape of the wound, the doctors anticipated they would have needed to amputate.  
There was no choice when it came to Ensign Tolon’s hand - his left arm had to be amputated just below the elbow. A prosthetic was created for him that looked completely natural, but he was warned that it would never be as sensitive or as controllable as a real hand. Because he was a hybrid, there was no chance that a compatible donor could be found and within two weeks of his nervous system adapting to the prosthetic, he would never be a candidate for a transplant.

Joey Chin’s body had been too mangled to display in state, to the dismay of his parents, brothers, sisters and many cousins who lived in Ba Sing Se. Following family tradition, which Joey had requested when he had entered basic training just under three years previously, his body was, following a thorough autopsy, pulped and the remains placed in a large, black planter along with a river willow sapling, to be planted along one of the many rivers that ran through the great Earth Kingdom city.

Justice Minerva Irons presented the eulogy jointly with the U.S.S. Hunter’s Director of Flight Operations, Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin. Given the gravity of the events and the large number of dignitaries in attendance, there was no hope of this funeral being an intimate affair. Nearly 6,000 people, including the majority of the Irons, Chin, Lin, Smart, Young, Li and Wu families filled one of the courtyards of Ba Sing Se’s Imperial Palace. The Dai Li were out in force, well over 500 Dai Li agents were visible among the crowd with many more out of uniform, providing covert security.  
Along with Joey Chin’s immediate family and the U.S.S. Hunter’s entire Flight Operations Department and several other crew members in the front row, Commander Oshreb Sav, Seiv th’Stavin (a distant cousin of Emperor Sin IV), Ba Sing Se’s Mayor Chris Young, Trantor’s Mayor Harry Issacs, and Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic were among the most prominent dignitaries.

“I could lie to you. I could tell you that Flight Specialist Joey Chin gave his life heroically in the line of duty.” The communicator embedded in Justice Irons’ chest was connected to the public address system, bringing her voice clearly to the thousands of people in the courtyard and a far larger audience scattered throughout Trantor and across Cun Ling who were watching this event live on their viewscreens.  
“But Joey was not on duty. He was on leave and wearing civilian clothing. Just another tourist walking into a pub in Trantor. One of millions of tourists walking into any one of thousands of pubs in Trantor. He was kidnapped, along with his crewmates because they served on the U.S.S. Hunter, which has seen action against a separatist movement identifying themselves as Andoria First.  
“Joey was kidnapped, tormented and eventually tortured to death to satisfy a grudge. This is what happens when terrorists attempt to supplant the rule of law with the more ancient rule of personal honor. Endless cycles of revenge. Savagery. We will not meet savagery with savagery, but with justice. However, when the many members of Andoria First who have been arrested are brought to trial, I cannot sit in judgement. I am touched too closely by their crime.  
“To Joey’s family, please understand that I know what it is to lose a son in Star Fleet. I have lost three children in the service of Star Fleet and two of my grandchildren and two great grandchildren as well. And Joey was in battle - a battle for his life and for the lives of his four crewmates. None of his crewmates would have survived without him. Although Joey was a combat pilot, it was not his combat skills that saved his crewmates lives. It was his warmth and his kindness that saved their lives and gave them the strength to hold on just a little longer and he will be greatly and bitterly missed.  
“Flight Specialist Joey Chin was a member of the U.S.S. Hunter’s Flight Operations Department. I have asked my Flight Operations Department Director, Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Dolphin, to speak about Joey. Kenneth?”

Kenny Dolphin had been standing next to and a half step behind Justice Irons on her left side. He took one step forward and to the left. His internal communicator connected into the public address system, creating an ambient breath.  
“Today is Joey Chin’s 21st birthday. We had planned a party. A little over a week ago, along with another pilot, Joey conducted a flawless first strike against a facility, destroying vital infrastructure to a private residence. In that attack we confirmed that four andorians were killed. Four out of an entire facility population of 167. Our telemetry shows that the only people killed in that strike were those unfortunate enough to be in the vital systems we needed to take out at the moment of our attack. As a direct result of that flawlessly conducted strike, three young andorian girls who had been held at that facility against their wills and at threat to their lives were rescued - by the very crewmembers that Joey saved only a few days ago.  
“Sometimes fighter pilots are portrayed as romantic heroes. Sometimes as heartless killers. Joey became a fighter pilot because he just wanted that feeling of flight. He loved to fly solo. But Joey was in the business of saving lives. And his primary tool was a Star Fleet Interceptor. Over the past few days, he saved the lives of his crewmates with his kindness, his warmth and his gentleness.   
“The Flight Operations Department will remember a trusted wingman. The Ground Operations Department will remember a kind, gentle and beautiful young man. I will remember the young man I occasionally caught discussing romantic poetry with a small circle of friends on our crew. And now I am faced with the unenviable task of finding another pilot to take the place of a young man who cannot be replaced.”

As Dolphin was speaking, he noticed 2nd Lt. T’Lon, Dr. Tali Shae, and Commander David Pepper getting up from the front row and trying to exit as discretely as they could. Which, given Pep’s enormous size, was completely impossible. Out of the corner of his eye, Dolphin could see them hurrying across the courtyard, then being beamed out.

After the ceremony, Dolphin found himself speaking with Emory Ivonovic, who introduced him to Seiv th’Stavin, who had accompanied Ivonovic into the caverns to rescue the Hunter’s crew. “Siev was the one with connections to the Andorian Naturalborn Coalition,” Ivonovic was saying. “Many of their members had become increasingly uncomfortable with Andoria First and the separatists. They were the ones who told us where to look and convinced some of the guards to defect and give us access…”  
A clearly distraught woman elbowed her way into the conversation. “I recognize you! You’re that horrible man who hates hybrids! Why are you here? What gives you the right?”  
Dolphin found himself responding: “Councilmember Ivonovic rescued our crew from Andoria First. He carried Joey’s body out…”  
“I have five daughters,” Ivonovic said, “and for the past two and a half years, that young man put his life on the line to protect my daughters. I only wish I could have gotten...” Ivonovic swallowed hard, took a breath, grimaced… “I wish I could have gotten there sooner.. I wish I could have brought him out alive…”

\- * -

“His babies!!!” wailed Cantys. She collapsed into Dr. Tali Shae’s arms. They were in the small surgery behind the Hunter’s medical office. “I’m carrying his babies!! He’ll never see his babies!!” She buried her face into Tali’s chest, and wailed, her tiny body wracked with uncontrollable grief.   
Tali held the Hunter’s youngest crewmember tightly, stroked her hair. “I know baby. I know,” she whispered, her voice cracking, unable to talk, her antennae curling, emphasizing the grimace of grief on her face.

A few feet away, Dr. Jazz Sam Sinder was talking with Pep and T’Lon. Buttans Ngumbo was nearby.  
“It was really only a matter of time. We performed four surgeries since he arrived. His circulatory system was unique. Andorians and humans really aren’t very compatible. It’s a wonder his heart ever worked at all. There was never a chance of finding a compatible donor and for the same reason, the chances of a prosthetic working for him were… unacceptable. So we just repaired it as best we could. This time it just… pretty much… just… fell apart. We had him on the table and open within three minutes, but there just… wasn’t anything I could do…”  
“You did your best, Sam,” said Pep, laying an enormous hand on the bajoran doctor’s shoulder. “You kept him alive this long. You gave him years he wouldn’t have had without you.”

T’Lon’s face had turned a bit pale, causing the dark green scar on her right cheek to stand out more. She had unconsciously brushed her hair back, revealing her ears - the top half of her right earlobe had been cut off by a phaser blast only days before during the assault on th’Istel.   
Buttans Ngumbo stood across from her, a blank expression on his face. Registering only shock.

On the surgery table between them, chest sewn back up, eyes closed, oddly large antennae finally motionless, lay the body of Investigator Lynhart Shran.

13.15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Siev th’Stavin  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Tarsk, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 13.15  
Age when introduced: 22  
Role: Bureaucrat, Cousin to Emperor Sin IV


	54. Episode 13.16 - The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling: Imperial Script

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The new Andorian Emperor Sin IV has sent a secret message to Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic - so secret it takes Ivonovic some time to decipher it...
> 
> _The emperor had painted only two symbols on the square of silk, but it took Ivonovic hours to determine what they meant. He was not about to ask anyone for help or even enter the symbols into a computer, where his search might be traced. He was not taking any chances that might let on that he was in secret communication with the andorian emperor._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I love secret cyphers. And creepy blind emperors with antennae...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling  
Scene 16: Imperial Script

13.16  
Imperial Script

Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic had received a cryptic message from Emperor Sin IV. In the emperor’s own handwriting - sort of. It was actually a duplicate of an original. The original had been destroyed immediately after being coded as a replicator pattern. A small square of silk with a pair of symbols painted in ink.

This pattern was sent from Andoria to Cun Ling via subspace radio. The signal was coded to Ivonovic’s Federation Council security access protocol. Ivonovic was slightly disconcerted that the andorian emperor had access to security protocols for Federation Councilmembers, but it was not unreasonable for such information to be provided to the head of state for a member government.   
Once Ivonovic entered his security access code and the small piece of silk with its unique ink lettering was recreated in the replicator in his stateroom, the replicator pattern was erased.

The emperor had painted only two symbols on the square of silk, but it took Ivonovic hours to determine what they meant. He was not about to ask anyone for help or even enter the symbols into a computer, where his search might be traced. He was not taking any chances that might let on that he was in secret communication with the andorian emperor.  
Fortunately, Trantor had several analog libraries - libraries with actual books. After several hours digging around in the stacks near the top floor of the Trantor Metropolitan Library, Ivonovic was finally able to track down the top symbol in a book about antique andorian languages. The message had been written in Lak, a dead language.

The top symbol translated roughly to an imperative: “Remain.”

Ivonovic searched through dozens of books for the bottom symbol without luck. He sat, staring at it, then slapped his forehead – hard – when he realized the bottom symbol was identical to the top symbol - only reversed. Another twenty minutes of research revealed that the ancient andorian military officers who used the Lak written language occasionally used reversed symbols to invert the meaning.

Fully translated and put into context, the emperor’s message read:

“You stay there. I am coming.”

13 – The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling


	55. Episode 14.1 - When Death Comes: Layover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Irons has placed her ship on emergency reserve status to take the pressure off her crew - to give them a chance to heal from the traumatic events of The Andoria First Incident. But while her crew recuperate, there is no rest for the justice herself...
> 
> _Irons laid her hand on Tolon’s prosthetic hand. “It will be some time before this starts to feel normal to you. But I have known other people with prosthetics. You do get used to them. So tell me about your team.”_  
_Tolon looked down, then looked at Irons. “It’s time to let them get on with their lives. They came in as a family unit and Star Fleet kept them together, in spite of normal procedure. They have less than two months before their tour of duty is up. I could see giving them a security assignment far from the front lines, but the Hunter is no place for them to be serving after all this...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Traumatic shock is not addressed enough in fiction. It is a real thing and has real consequences. And in the case of Star Fleet crews - the things they live through would turn most of us into emotional basket cases...
> 
> Pronunciation note Thyssi zh'Qaoleq - her last name roughly rhymes with "chocolate".

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 1: Layover

14.1  
Layover

Once the U.S.S. Hunter’s crew members were released from Trantor General Hospital, it was hardly surprising that Trantor was the last place any of the Hunter’s crew wanted to go to. With her ground operations department seriously traumatized and the rest of her crew reeling from the loss of two crew members and two others grievously wounded, Justice Minerva Irons, with approval from Star Fleet Operations, removed the U.S.S. Hunter from active duty and placed the ship on emergency reserve status.  
Ba Sing Se was the only place the entire crew felt safe on Cun Ling - largely because they were surrounded by Justice Irons’ family members. And unlike Trantor with its peerless glass skyscrapers, the great Earth Kingdom city had a warmth to it that the crew desperately needed.  
To reduce the burden on her crew, Justice Irons ordered the U.S.S. Hunter landed. Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth parked the Hunter on the very courtyard where a day before Irons and her director of flight operations had given the eulogy for Flight Specialist Joey Chin. Following non-emergency landing protocol, the tactical unit, the wagon and the two interceptors were undocked and parked separately nearby.

Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin wasted no time recruiting a replacement for Joey Chin. Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq received a bit of a cold welcome at first until a rather exasperated Lt. Tauk sternly reminded his ground team that although they had been kidnapped and tormented by andorians, many, many other andorians had come to their rescue.  
Thyssi came highly recommended. She had served in Commander Red’s squadron at the Battle over Rings, facing off against the forces of House Shav and had piloted one of the six interceptors that had formed up behind (then) Lt. Dolphin during his attack run on the I.G.V. Ravonnelle.   
Replacing Investigator Lynhart Shran would not be anywhere near as easy and Lt. Tauk, 2nd Lt. T’Lon and Investigator Buttons Ngumbo were in no hurry to try.

Although she needed a vacation as much as, if not more than her crew, Justice Minerva Irons quickly realized that was not going to happen on Cun Ling. As she ran from one meeting to another ceremony, Irons found herself looking forward to the relative peace of space travel.  
The Tribunal needed her to help train new appellate justices. Star Fleet and the Federation Council (separately and jointly) had no end of briefings and debriefings over the Andoria First Incident (as the initial murder of 37 members of Andoria First along with the following kidnapping of the Hunter's crew and ensuing assault on th'Istel was now collectively being referred to.) Admirals and Federation Councilmembers were surreptitiously pointing fingers at the new Emperor of Andoria for setting these deadly events in motion. Emperor Sin’s unrelenting, fiery rhetoric toward Andoria First only added fuel to these speculations.  
At least, in deference to Justice Irons’ age and the perception that she, too, had been traumatized by the events in Trantor, all of these meetings were held in the Imperial Palace at Ba Sing Se.  
At the end of one of these interminable meetings, Irons almost stormed out of the room and nearly ran over Special Agent Johnny Canada of the Trantor Police Intelligence Division. Canada quickly summoned her into a side room.

“I had to bend a lot of rules and break more than a few to obtain this information, your honor,” Canada said. He handed Irons a reader. “Autopsy reports on the 37 andorians that we found dead in the streets of Trantor.”  
“There weren’t killed by phasers?” Irons asked.  
“Andorian phasers,” Canada said, “but… not current ones. The signatures left by these phasers were consistent with phasers distributed to Andorian Imperial Guard, but that generation of phaser was entirely decommissioned four years ago and all AIG forces have been resupplied with a newer model. Each phaser leaves a slightly different wound signature. Forensic examiners with some experience can easily tell the difference between an Andorian Imperial Guard phaser and a Star Fleet issue phaser. Noting differences in model types is much more refined skill set, but I have a friend…”  
“I will need to run this past my people,” Irons said. “If this bears out, it appears someone is trying to frame the new Emperor for starting an Andorian civil war in the middle of downtown Trantor.”  
“Some pretty powerful people did not want me to have this information, which makes me reasonably certain they do not want you to know. Including some of my superiors in the Intelligence Division,” Canada said.  
Irons tapped the reader. “Can this be authenticated?”  
“I made sure to give you everything you need to authenticate those files. Your Lieutenant Tauk should have no problem with it,” Canada said. “But if you want to make use of this, you really need to have your own people verify it, which means going through official channels – and soon, before those bodies are released to their families. Better bring your big guns right from the start. I suspect there will be far more than your normal bureaucratic resistance to that request.”  
“Thank you, Agent Canada.”  
“Don’t mention it…” Johnny Canada said with his trademark friendly smile, and then added, “Ever…”

It was only moments later that Irons had a private meeting with Ensign Tolon Reeves. Reeves had met with Lt. Tauk, Lt. Cmdr. Mlady and Commander David Pepper about the status of his team. Some of the rooms in the Imperial Palace, including the grand ballroom, had been pressurized and the atmosphere purified to give Tauk a break from staying onboard the Hunter.

“So, Reeves, I understand you want to stay with us,” Irons said, trying to conceal her exhaustion as she sat down at her eighth conference table for the day. “We could probably find you a less hazardous post so you could spend more time with your remaining limbs…”  
Ensign Tolon smiled ruefully. “Dr. Tali Shae told me I qualify for a medical discharge under honorable circumstances..”  
“Loss of limb qualifies,” Irons said. “How is the prosthetic? It certainly looks natural. I wouldn’t notice it if I didn’t already know.”  
Tolon lifted his left hand, then let it drop at full speed onto the malachite table top with a resounding cracking sound. “It registers as pain, but it doesn’t hurt.” He lifted his hand, turned it around. “No damage – that would have at least bruised my other hand, if not broken it. It looks real but… it… just doesn’t feel... real”  
Irons laid her hand on Tolon’s prosthetic hand. “It will be some time before this starts to feel normal to you. But I have known other people with prosthetics. You do get used to them. So tell me about your team.”  
Tolon looked down, then looked at Irons. “It’s time to let them get on with their lives. They came in as a family unit and Star Fleet kept them together, in spite of normal procedure. They have less than two months before their tour of duty is up. I could see giving them a security assignment far from the front lines, but the Hunter is no place for them to be serving after all this.”  
“Why do you think that?” Irons asked.  
“I have serious ethical concerns about ever putting those kids in danger of being taken prisoner again,” Tolon responded. “Something that probably needs to be considered when we recruit people from their kind of background. They have done an amazing job, but I don’t think anyone appreciated until now just how traumatized they were by growing up more or less in slavery and deprivation. Rys and Garr are waking up screaming and crying – and they’re far better off than Jarrong and Cantys. Cantys is putting on a brave face, but she spends hours crying every day. And Jarrong is just going through the motions at this point. She has a hard time focusing. They will get better, but not before their tour of duty is up.”  
“But here you are, ready to plug this thing in,” Irons tapped Tolon’s prosthetic left hand, “and walk back into the fight?”  
“You know, it’s weird,” Tolon said. “You would think at my age – I’m 47 – that all the adventure would have been squeezed out of me by now. But I’ve never felt so alive. I think if I were to go to some backwater and work at a desk at this point… I’d just go mad. It’s like I’m desperate to get out there again. More now than ever.”  
“You’re going to need a new team,” Irons said. “I agree with you about your charges – I think I have an alternative for them. We’ll get together with them once we get underway. I am really eager to get back into space.”

After a full day, Justice Irons finally returned to her quarters, desperately needing sleep. She had been assigned a massive suite within the palace – easily the size of deck 8 on the Hunter (which included her quarters, her office, the bridge, the executive conference room and the ground operations center.) Each of the two entrances into her suite were guarded non-stop by two Dai Li agents.   
Irons noticed that these two agents appeared slightly disconcerted, but she was too tired to investigate further and stepped into her drawing room. She was half in a mood to collapse on one of the divans in her drawing room without bothering to make it to the master bedroom… But there were four people in her drawing room waiting for her. And not just any four people. Two humans, a vulcan and an andorian – an aenar, actually…

“It is wonderful that the four of you are together,” Irons mused tiredly. “But in my quarters? This can’t be good…”

14.1


	56. Episode 14.2 - When Death Comes: Secret Summit at Ba Sing Se

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Four uniquely influential people have a secret meeting with Justice Minerva Irons in her private rooms in the Imperial Palace at Ba Sing Se...
> 
> _Irons inspected Ivonovic’s face carefully. “You are not the same man I met a year ago.”_  
_“He is not the same man I met a week ago,” intoned Emperor Sin IV. “The overweening ambition is still there, but it is no longer a cold and entirely self-serving ambition.”_  
_Minerva Irons smiled in spite of her exhaustion. “You have earned quite the reputation for speaking your mind, Emperor...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Emory Ivonovic continues to evolve...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 2: The Secret Summit at Ba Sing Se

14.2  
The Secret Summit at Ba Sing Se

Two of Irons’ visitors were on a first-name basis with her and another of them she had met and parted on friendly terms with. So she greeted the fourth, whom she had met only once and under inauspicious circumstances.

“Esteemed Councilmember Ivonovic,” said Irons. “It has been little over a year, but it feels like we last met a lifetime ago.”  
“My friends call me Emory, your honor,” Ivonovic replied. “I hope that you will be among them despite the, um, festivities of our last meeting...”  
Irons inspected Ivonovic’s face carefully. “You are not the same man I met a year ago.”  
“He is not the same man I met a week ago,” intoned Emperor Sin IV. “The overweening ambition is still there, but it is no longer a cold and entirely self-serving ambition.”  
Minerva Irons smiled in spite of her exhaustion. “You have earned quite the reputation for speaking your mind, Emperor.”  
“I could speak the minds of other people,” the emperor said, turning his blind eyes toward Irons. His antennae were still focused on Ivonovic. “His… Yours… Theirs…” The emperor’s antennae focused on Irons and then the other two in in time to his remarks. “But that would be impolitic. So I usually settle for speaking only my own.”

The other two in the room walked up to Irons. “Minerva,” said a thickly built, dark skinned, middle aged woman.  
“Gently, Mary, I have grown brittle with age,” Irons said as the Federation President, Mary Rodriguez embraced her. As President Rodriguez stepped back, Minerva Irons greeted the vulcan by placing her hand on his chest – he returned the gesture. “Saoron, you have been traveling widely recently.”  
“It appears I have much to undo, Minerva,” said the small, bald, elderly vulcan premiere. “An illness has struck our people and it is far more dangerous and widespread than I had at first imagined. These are perilous times.” He inclined his head toward Ivonovic and Emperor Sin IV. “And perilous times, it seems, call for perilous allies.”

The andorian emperor did not appear to react to this characterization. Ivonovic followed his lead.

“Recent events here threaten our alliance,” said Emperor Sin IV. “It is best our presence here goes unmarked for now. I have heard the rumors that you have heard, Minerva Irons. I vigorously pursue Andoria First and will prosecute them relentlessly. But within the federation, we are working through our negotiated extradition processes. We are not leaving bodies to waste under the suns of the worlds of our allies.”  
“There are a growing number among the homeworld coalition who are accusing you of just that, Emperor,” said Mary Rodriguez.  
“If my forces had taken those people, their bodies would not have been found in lower Trantor. They would have been returned to Andoria for trial,” the emperor replied. “I have no desire for war. This is a police action to be conducted quietly and strictly according to our laws and the laws of our allies. I am sending out far more lawyers than soldiers to secure these people.”  
“Emperor, I would like to have my forensic investigators conduct an independent autopsy on the bodies of the Andoria First members who were killed last week. I will need a formal request from someone with standing who can require the Trantor authorities to release the bodies.”  
“That is something I can accomplish,” Emperor Sin IV responded.  
  


14.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Premiere Saoron  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Vulcan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Vulcana Regar, Vulcan  
Introduced: Episode 14.2  
Age when introduced: 189  
Role: Premiere, Vulcan High Command
> 
> Character: President Mary Rodriguez  
Human Ethnicity: Mexican  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Villa del Rosa, Mexico, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 14.2  
Age when introduced: 66  
Role: President of the United Federation of Planets


	57. Episode 14.3 - When Death Comes: Phaser Signatures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
An autopsy on the bodies of the 37 Andoria First members murdered in Trantor reveals....
> 
> _At this point, events were driven by the andorian bureaucracy, which insisted on landing all 110,000 soldiers so that Emperor Sin IV, resplendent in his white robes, could walk into the Trantor Police Headquarters, surrounded by Andorian Imperial Guardsmen in dress uniform (both inside and outside of the building) and personally receive and, despite his blindness, sign for the bodies in flawless handwriting._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
It isn't what the autopsy proves... more often than not it is what it rules out.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 3: Phaser Signatures

14.3  
Phaser Signatures

Even the bureaucracy of Trantor was unable to stand up for a single day to a request from the Emperor of the Andorian Empire. Especially when the emperor’s newly appointed ambassador indicated that if the bodies of the murdered Andorian citizens were not promptly surrendered, that the emperor himself would arrive at the police station, accompanied by an honor guard of 110,000 Andorian Imperial Guardsmen. And by promptly, the ambassador meant immediately.  
This was taken as an empty threat for about fifteen minutes, which was the time needed for the Intelligence Division to confirm that two troop carriers were entering orbit with far more than 110,000 andorian soldiers onboard. By the time the first 15,000 Imperial Guardsmen stepped off their landing carriers, the Trantor Police Investigations Division had received a lecture from their legal services division in the relevant treaty law and before that number of Imperial Guardsmen had swollen to 30,000, the 37 andorian corpses were brought forward to be turned over to the Andorian Imperial government.  
At this point, events were driven by the andorian bureaucracy, which insisted on landing all 110,000 soldiers so that Emperor Sin IV, resplendent in his white robes, could walk into the Trantor Police Headquarters, surrounded by Andorian Imperial Guardsmen in dress uniform (both inside and outside of the building) and personally receive and, despite his blindness, sign for the bodies in flawless handwriting.  
Had this occurred anywhere else in the federation, any other city would have ground entirely to a halt. But this was Trantor and the vast majority of its nearly three billion citizens went on about their day blissfully oblivious to this impromptu State visit that had the Trantor Police Department in a blind panic.

Dr. Tali Shae, although a forensic expert, recused herself from the investigation (at her captain's recommendation) to forestall any grumbling that she might be biased because she was andorian. This left Dr. Sif as the senior forensic investigator for Star Fleet. However, because the Trantorian medical establishment was abuzz about Dr. Napoleon Boles, the half-bolian biologist joined in the investigation, along with a representative from the Trantor Medical Examiner's office - a bajoran woman - Dr. Orma Nurys.   
The bodies were examined onboard the U.S.S. Hunter, currently landed on the grounds of the Imperial Palace at Ba Sing Se, and the examination broadcast and observed in detail at the Trantor Medical Examiner's office, Trantor Police Headquarters, Star Fleet Planetary Command (also located in Trantor), and the Andorian fleet currently in orbit.

Chain of custody had been verified by Trantor Blue Helmets, who had, at the invitation of the emperor, accompanied the bodies from their release to the Andorian Imperial Guard, onto the andorian shuttles that carried the bodies to Ba Sing Se and stayed with the bodies as they were carried from the shuttles across the Imperial courtyard onto the U.S.S. Hunter and into its forensic labs. At no time were the bodies beamed anywhere, to forestall any charges that they might be tampered with during transport.

Dr. Sif conducted the examinations in the large medical bay to accommodate a large number of witnesses, including the Trantor Police, Star Fleet and a delegation representing the Andorian Empire.  
She recorded her forensic notes in a lecture format, which allowed her to simultaneously explain her conclusions to her audience as well as number of viewers and at the same time formally record these forensic notes for later use in a court of law if needed.

“The older generation of Andorian Imperial Guard (hereafter referred to as AIG) phasers leave a slight crosshatch burn pattern that will indicate the orientation of the emitter,” Sif said. “When the weapon is held in the normal firing position, this slight crosshatch will appear at the top of the wound. The new AIG phasers, issued four years ago, while leaving the telltale burn marks of an andorian phaser, do not leave this small crosshatch pattern. Eighteen of these individuals presented with the crosshatch not oriented the way we would have expected. Either the shooters were holding their weapons sideways, or these victims were not standing when they were shot. Closer examination of the lungs of these victims shows they were exposed to a large amount of anesthetize gas and were probably unconscious when they were killed.”  
“We considered the possibility that this action might have been conducted by agents of House Shav,” Sif continued. “While we cannot rule that out categorically, it is counter-indicated by the evidence. House Shav forces are exclusively armed with phasers manufactured by House Shav, which leave an entirely different burn pattern. The weapons that were used for these murders are largely available and will be difficult to trace. When the AIG changed over to the new phasers four years ago, the old weapons were sold as military surplus to ferengi weapons merchants, who have, in turn, sold them to many parties both within and outside of the federation…”

14.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Trantor, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 14.3  
Age when introduced: 23  
Role: Pilot, U.S.S. Hunter


	58. Episode 14.4 - When Death Comes: Quack Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
A brief moment before the U.S.S. Hunter leaves the A Boo star system for the Flight Operations Department to develop some new defensive tactics...
> 
> _ “I invented these patterns specifically for this configuration,” zh’Qaoleq continued, “so don’t use common Star Fleet pattern terms like ‘alpha’ or “b” or numbers. These need to be three distinct words that everyone can easily remember.”_  
_ Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin responded immediately: “Quack, Cackle, Caw.”_  
_ “Okay, I speak English, but I do not know those words and my universal translator just gave me bird noises,” zh’Qaoleq said..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Sooner or later the Quack Attack and its kindred will become useful..

Star Trek Hunter  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 4: Quack Attack

14.4  
Quack Attack

While the U.S.S. Hunter remained parked on the Imperial grounds, Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin had his department in the tactical unit, the wagon and the Hunter's two new long-range interceptors, on the fringes of the A Boo star system, running drills and learning new tactics. This gave his new pilot, Thyssi zh'Qaoleq, an opportunity to qualify on the wagon and the tactical unit and gave his other pilots a chance to get used to their new team mate.  
Recruiting Thyssi was no accident. She had served in the Andorian Imperial Guard as a fighter pilot before joining Star Fleet, where she had served in Commander Red's squadron. Dolphin put her to work training his team in both the tactics she had learned in the AIG and also what she had learned from Commander Red.  
These tactics were designed for squadron operations, not for the smaller group of vessels the Hunter could field. Dolphin was particularly interested in using her knowledge to develop new strategies for defending the Hunter against a potential attack by a squadron of interceptors.

"Big ships are most vulnerable from the top and underneath," Chief zh'Qaoleq said. She was flying Interceptor 2.A with Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin riding 2nd seat. The interceptor's communication system carried her voice to the remainder of the Flight Operations department.   
Chief Guth was piloting Interceptor 1.A with 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor riding 2nd seat. Flight Specialist Winnifried Salazaar was piloting the wagon with Ensign Ethan Phillips and Navigator Eli Strahl on board. Flight Specialist Dih Terri was piloting the tactical unit with Navigator Johanna Imex next to her at the navigator/tactical station and Lt. Tauk in the command seat behind them.  
"Since the wagon and the tactical unit carry additional shielding, I would recommend stationing the wagon above the Hunter's platform and the tactical unit, in inverted position, below the platform's nacelle," Chief zh'Qaoleq continued.   
Because the Hunter's platform was parked in Ba Sing Se, a virtual platform had been programmed into the computers of its support craft. Lt. Tauk was controlling this virtual platform from the command chair in the tactical unit.  
Winnifried Salazaar positioned the wagon above the space occupied by this virtual platform and Dih Terri positioned the tactical unit below it.  
"Inverted," Dolphin reminded Dih Terri.  
In response, Flight Specialist Dih rotated the tactical unit clockwise 180 degrees along its longitudinal axis, flipping it upside down in relation to the wagon flying above it. The tactical unit was nearly twice the size of the wagon, but had less than half the crew space inside as it carried a heavy array of weaponry, additional shields and a complement of a dozen photon torpedoes.  
"By inverting the tactical unit, you maximize the firing range of its phaser cannon relative to the platform," Dolphin continued. "But more importantly, you make it harder for attacking interceptors to target your torpedo tubes.”  
“Given the shield configuration of this unit, it also provides optimal shield coverage for the underside of the Hunter platform,” Lt. Tauk added.  
“How did he know that?” asked Chief zh’Qaoleq.  
“Math genius,” Chief Guth responded.  
“Lot of smart people on this crew,” Gaia Gamor added. “You’ll get used to it.”  
Chief zh’Qaoleq shook her head, her antennae comically waving the opposite direction. “Okay, Lieutenant Commander, we need three unique names for the attack/defense patterns I have added to our computers. When you call them the first time, we’ll just sit back, let the computers take control and get a feel for each pattern. After a few runs, we will take these birds off autopilot and run the attack patterns at half-speed, double-radius to get a better idea how to accomplish them manually. We shouldn’t run them manually at full speed, tight pattern until we can reliably do it successfully in simulation.”  
“I invented these patterns specifically for this configuration,” zh’Qaoleq continued, “so don’t use common Star Fleet pattern terms like ‘alpha’ or “b” or numbers. These need to be three distinct words that everyone can easily remember.”  
Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin responded immediately: “Quack, Cackle, Caw.”  
“Okay, I speak English, but I do not know those words and my universal translator just gave me bird noises,” zh’Qaoleq said.  
“That’s what they are, Thyssi,” said Dewayne Guth.

Chief zh’Qaoleq turned to face Dolphin, in the seat just behind and slightly above her. “Red told me you’re crazy… Bird sounds?”  
Dolphin looked back at his newest pilot. Both had brilliant blue eyes. Dolphin let the silence linger for just a moment, then said, slowly, quietly but emphatically: “Quack… Cackle… Caw.”

Thyssi zh’Qaoleq turned back to face forward. “Right. Now we need an additional term to add to each of these so we have a total of six distinct attack/defense patterns. Quack, Cackle and Caw (in Thyssi’s voice, these sounded surprisingly close to the sounds made by a duck, a grackle and a crow respectively) are all stern-to-stem patterns. These can also be run stem-to-stern, designated by an additional term.”  
“Back,” Dolphin said.  
“All of these attack patterns start with the tactical unit and the wagon in their current configuration,” zh’Qaoleq said, “For the Quack Attack, the interceptors will chase each other around the other three units in a clockwise rotation. Interceptor 1.A on the port side will swivel 180 degrees along its z axis so it is facing rear, then come up over the top of the stern of the wagon+Hunter platform+tactical unit configuration - we’ll call that the sandwich. At the same moment, Interceptor 2.A on the starboard side will dive under the sandwich. The interceptors will chase each other around the sandwich from stern to stem. Meanwhile, the wagon and the tactical units will rotate along their z axes so that they keep their sterns to the interceptors – this will allow them to concentrate fire where the interceptors aren’t. The platform will concentrate its firepower fore and aft to avoid hitting any of its support craft. With a gunner riding 2nd seat in each interceptor, the interceptors will select targets and fire as they come into range while maintaining the chase pattern.”

“The Back Quack Attack works the same way, except that Interceptor 1.A will initiate the pattern by flying up over the front of the sandwich, which means it will not need to reverse angle at the beginning of the maneuver,” zh’Qaoleq continued. “The Cackle Attack starts with Interceptor 2.A reversing angle and flying over the top of the stern of the sandwich in a counter-clockwise motion. The Caw Attack is the hardest but potentially the most effective with the Interceptor 1.A flying clockwise and Interceptor 2.A flying counter-clockwise around the sandwich…”

“Okay,” said Kenny Dolphin. “Everybody got that? Good! Activate your autopilots and get ready to run the Quack Attack…”

14.4


	59. Episode 14 - When Death Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Opening quote for Episode 14: When Death Comes

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
  


Episode 14 – When Death Comes  
  


_ "Death touches you on the shoulder – not a touch you can feel except in the rising of your flesh and the music of your heart. Even the most courageous warrior will be overcome with fear and may not turn. But if you find the courage to turn, Death will show you a face. That face is not the sum of your fears. It is the face that lives in your own heart. And when you have finally summoned the courage and looked into the face of Death, only then will it be revealed to you, not how to die, but, at long last, how to live.” _

_Dr. David Pepper – Introduction to _ _The Great Klingon Poets, Volume 19: The Late Neo-Mystic Tradition__._

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady  
.

Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim  
.

Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth (Guth rhyms with booth)  
Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq(zh’Qaoleq rhymes with CHOC-o-late)  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar  
.

Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Investigator - vacant  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys  
Tactical Specialist Belo Garr  
Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys (Cantys rhymes with panties)  
.

Director of Engineering - Lt. Sarekson Carrera  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Episode 14 (once we get away from Cun Ling and out into space) and Episode 15 have more of a classic "Star Trekish" feel to them. My beta readers were particularly happy with Episode 15, which features the long-awaited return of Wesley Crusher - and in a big way.
> 
> I conceived 11 - 15 as a rising tide of action with Episode 15 being the exact middle of the story for Star Trek Hunter. 
> 
> You might want to gear down a little for Episode 14 - if 12 was action adventure and 13 was drama, 14 is horror... but it sets the stage for the comedy of 15.  
.


	60. Episode 14.5 - When Death Comes: Taking One for the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
After arranging for a decent future for the four young tactical squat members, Justice Minerva Irons finally gets some much needed relaxation... Only to become the first victim...
> 
> _Irons’ mind was deafened by the young navigator’s telepathic scream of terror - her eyes opened wide - she took a deep, shuddering breath. His words screamed in her mind. Then suddenly she understood them - an impossibility loomed horribly over them as she drew the navigator to her - simultaneously seeking protection and trying to protect the young man from horrifying apparition that was looming over them both..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Whatever this attacker is, it is very effective against anyone with the slightest telepathic ability...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 5: Taking One For The Team

14.5  
Taking One For The Team

“I know the four of you were hoping to spend the rest of your lives on this ship, running dangerous missions, getting shot at, and taking down the federation’s most dangerous criminals…” Ensign Tolon Reeves looked at his four young charges. Not a single smile. Even in a formal meeting in the executive conference room with Justice Minerva Irons, Lt. Tauk and 2nd Lt. T’Lon, Jarrong was simply unable to focus and while Belo Cantys was putting on a brave face, even her bravest face was a distraught one.

The U.S.S. Hunter was finally underway again, en route to Star Base Eleven.

Belo Rys put her hand on Tolon’s arm as if to reassure him, then quickly pulled her hand away as she realized she was touching his prosthetic arm. Belo Garr was trying very hard not to appear sullen and belligerent - unsuccessfully.   
T’Lon put her hand on Tolon’s other shoulder, looked around the table at her former charges. When they looked at her, they each focused first on the pencil-thin scar on her right cheek - the top half of her right ear missing. “When I brought the four of you aboard, you were already a team, already a family. Star Fleet recognized your special status and kept you together at Justice Irons’ recommendation - a recommendation that T’Lok and I drafted. And suddenly you became part of a larger family, for the first time in your lives. And then you lost T’Lok and while that was hard on all of us - it was so much harder on you because all of you were there. And you couldn’t save her. You very nearly died with her. And now just a few short days apart you lost Joey Chin and Lynhart Shran. And there was nothing you could have done to save either of them. And you very nearly lost Tolon, but Jarrong…”

Jarrong finally looked up, looking at T’Lon.

“Jarrong, you saved him,” T’Lon said. “You weren’t completely helpless down there. You brought Ensign Tolon out alive. And you brought each other out alive. And now it’s our turn.” T’Lon looked at Justice Irons.  
“I have been in contact with Rear Admiral Burton,” Irons said. “It appears she has need for a special security squad that can serve as an emergency response team. You are being reassigned to Star Base Eleven. We are on course to deliver you and should arrive within four days. The time has come for you to make your farewells to your friends here. Because of the events that cut short our shore leave on Cun Ling, we have been granted four days shore leave on Ocean. So you have eight days to say your good byes. But it will not be for forever.”  
Cantys looked up. “Can we have common accommodations on Star Base Eleven?”  
Irons looked at her levelly. “No. I am aware you have taken to sleeping on the couches in the Ground Operations Lounge instead of in your pods. That is a violation of safety protocols, but I think we can set those aside for now. You will not have common accommodations on Star Base Eleven because your duty post will be on Ocean and your quarters will be in the main resort. I will see to it that you are assigned a common suite. You will serve as lifeguards for visiting Star Fleet crews until such time as the Irons family can arrange to employ additional lifeguards. For my own selfish reasons, I am hoping you will apply to the Irons family for those positions in two months when your tour of duty with Star Fleet is over.”  
“But Ensign Tolon…” Belo Rys started.  
“This moment was inevitable, Rys,” said Irons. “We do not have the facilities or expertise to provide Cantys the help she needs with what will be a very complicated pregnancy. Or to provide the years of genetic therapy her children will need to survive and thrive. SB11 has those resources. I had assumed that all of you would want to stay with her at least until her children are born...”  
All four of the tactical squad members nodded - the realization finally dawning on them that there was really no way they could continue to serve aboard the Hunter. Their expressions of fear and anguish began to dissolve into relief. The need to take care of Cantys during her pregnancy somehow lifted the tint of shame and failure from their reassignment - and their new lives on Ocean suddenly became something they could look forward to without shame.  
“Then it is settled. The four of you will go to Ocean,” Irons said. “Ensign Tolon will be staying with us. But I also have a selfish reason for wanting you on Ocean. My service with Star Fleet is, finally, after all these many years, nearing an end and I plan to retire to spend my few remaining years on Ocean. I do not think it will be very long before I join you there and I really want to see Lynhart’s children grow up - at least as much as I can see of them as my remaining time will allow. I do not know how much time I have left - not much, I fear, but it will be long enough to see the four of you healed, strong and happy. That will happen.”

\- * -

That evening Justice Minerva Irons was relaxed on her bed enjoying the afterglow of a wonderfully gentle, expert massage. Eli Strahl lay next to her, gently tracing her hairline with a finger. A small amount of glowing, emerald wine from Ba Sing Se lurked in the bottom of a bottle on the nightstand next to two glasses, each of which had traces of luminescent green residue.

“You are a very ambitious young man,” Irons said. “So tell me your ambition. I may not be fully telepathic, but I can feel this in you.”  
“My fondest ambition is here,” Strahl replied, speaking slowly, enjoying non-telepathic communication. “I knew you would be amazing, all those years of experience…”  
“Oh… that… that’s more of a personal obsession. But yes, some things do get better with practice. That and it has been a very, very long time…”  
“For now, that is the limit of my ambition - at least as much of it as I am prepared to share,” Strahl said.  
“Fair enough,” Irons replied, trailing her fingers along his chest.

She felt his terror before it made it to his face - withdrew her hand as Eli’s handsome face drained of blood and turned into a rictus of fear. He tried to speak, but was too terrified. His mind shrieked suddenly and he blacked out.  
Irons’ mind was deafened by the young navigator’s telepathic scream of terror - her eyes opened wide - she took a deep, shuddering breath. His words screamed in her mind. Then suddenly she understood them - an impossibility loomed horribly over them as she drew the navigator to her - simultaneously seeking protection and trying to protect the young man from horrifying apparition that was looming over them both:

IT CANNOT BE YOU!!!

Minerva Irons fell unconscious next to the young navigator. Her eyes, like his, were squeezed shut, as though trying to close out something horrible - whimpering in terror as consciousness escaped her…

14.5


	61. Episode 14.6 - When Death Comes: Running In Circles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Crew members are losing their minds - literally. And it happens fast. Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin is in the captain's chair and has to move fast to keep ahead of it...
> 
> _Dolphin was already at the pilot’s station, entering commands. “Ethan was trying to lock out the warp drive. Whatever this is, it’s going after our telepaths, Reeves,” Dolphin replied. “I know Sarekson’s only an eighth vulcan, but evidently that’s enough. Just about our entire engineering department is part vulcan.”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
A more apt title for this scene might be "Going To Hell In A Handbasket..."
> 
> This is where the story starts to get more of a classic Star Trek feel.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 6: Running In Circles

14.6  
Running In Circles

Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin was in the captain’s chair. He had slowed the U.S.S. Hunter to sublight speed at Dr. Carrera’s request - some strange reading down in engineering - nothing to worry about, but worth checking out… It was an increasingly frequent request. Ever since the Hunter’s refit, Engineering Director Sarekson Carrera was a little jumpy whenever any reading strayed from the strictest of nominal ranges. Carrera’s descriptions of the potential consequences of failure of the zip drive were sufficiently horrifying that the command staff took his worries seriously.  
Dolphin was taking the opportunity to run drills on the new attack forms that Chief Thyssi zh’Qaoleq (in coordination with Chief Dewayne Guth) had designed for the Hunter. His staff had been working these drills using the training simulators built into their individual spacecraft, but there was nothing like the real thing. Dolphin was delighted with these new forms - they maximized the fighting potential of the Hunter and, seen from a drone stationed to record these drills from a distance, were simply impressive - essentially turning the Hunter and its small group of support craft into a buzz saw of phaser fire in every direction.  
This was a very useful development as the U.S.S. Vox had recently been swarmed by orion slavers using heavy interceptors and had only managed to escape by reaching warp 9 - the orion interceptors had gotten up to warp 8 before having to drop away. Interceptor combat outside of heavily defended solar systems and space stations was only now becoming possible due to the miniaturization of warp engines and improvements in shielding that allowed interceptors to travel at high warp.

2nd Lt. T’Lon called in. “Hunter, this is the tactical unit, T’Lon commanding. Winnifreid Salazaar has lost consciousness.”  
“All units this is Dolphin. Abort drill, interceptors go wide, all units dock, tactical unit first.”  
With the “Go Wide” command, Interceptor 1.A (which docked on the port side) with Dewayne Guth piloting flew off to the Hunter’s port side. Interceptor 2.A, with Dih Terri piloting, went off to starboard. Gaia Gamor and Thyssi zh’Qaoleq in the wagon dropped back behind the Hunter to allow the tactical unit to dock first.  
“Hunter, this is Gaia in the wagon. Thyssi has also lost consciousness.”  
“Bring your bird in next, Gaia,” said Dolphin. “Medical - emergency beamout for Winnifreid Salazaar on the tactical unit and Thyssi zh’Qaoleq on the wagon.”

At that moment the Hunter shook, having sustained a phaser hit from Interceptor 2.A.   
“Shields up!” Dolphin commanded. “Hunter, do we have a breach?”  
The elderly looking avatar appeared on the bridge, said, “No,” and promptly vanished.   
Dolphin did not have time to puzzle out this bizarre holographic behavior. “Terri, what the hell are you doing?”  
Dih Terri continued her attack run on her own ship. The interceptor’s phasers were only able to degrade the Hunter’s shields because of how close she was.  
“Phillips, get control of that interceptor. Take control of both of them and put them on our wings. Transporter Engineer K’rok, emergency beamout of Dih Terri from Interceptor 2.A - put her in the brig.”  
“Aye sir, I have her,” came K’rok’s voice. “She is in brig unit 1.”  
“Sir, I need you to put me in the brig too, do it fast,” came Dewayne Guth’s voice. “I’m just barely holding on…”  
“K’rok, keep this channel open. Get Dewayne out of Interceptor 1.A and put him in brig unit 2. Phillips - dock those interceptors remotely. Hunter, what the hell is going on?”  
The ship’s avatar did not appear, but his voice came over the comm system. “Dr. Jazz is unconscious in the medical office. Chrissiana Trei and Sif have armed themselves and have left medical. They have deactivated their communicators and I cannot track them.”  
Dolphin swiveled to face Ensign Tolon Reeves, who was currently at the tactical station. “Ensign, I cannot leave your station unmanned. Contact your squad and instruct them to take down Sif and Trei. Treat them as armed and deadly - stun on sight.” He turned back to the viewscreen in time to see the heads-up display reading the interceptors entering their bays. “Gamor, arm yourself and protect the wagon and the interceptors. I don’t want anything leaving the bays.”  
“Aye sir,” came Gamor’s voice.  
“Hunter, wake the command staff.”  
“I have been trying, Lieutenant Commander. Dr. Tali Shae and Lieutenant Commander Mlady are unconscious in the medical director’s office. Dr. Jazz is unconscious in main medical. Commander Pepper is unconscious in his quarters. Captain Irons and Navigator Strahl are unconscious in the captain's quarters. None of them are responsive.”

Dolphin looked around, briefly confused. “Why didn't the alert sound when... Sound General Quarters!” he ordered. “Get everybody up - everybody who can get up. Must be something local,” Dolphin mused as the comm system emitted a series of ear-piercing shrieks and red and white beacons began flashing. “Sarekson, can we go to warp?”

“Lieutenant Commander? This is Kerry Gibbon in engineering. Everyone is acting strangely down here. Dr. Carrera is barely moving - he looks terrified. They all do. It’s like they’re moving in slow motion. I’m having to keep them away from the controls. They are trying to do strange things.”  
“K’rok, beam everyone out of engineering except for Engineer Gibbon. Let’s put them in brig units for safety,” Dolphin ordered.  
T’Lon finally came down from the tactical unit. She was clearly not herself - moving slowly as if in a daze. “Kenny… get.. Ethan…”  
Dolphin turned to see Ensign Ethan Phillips entering way too many commands into the pilot’s station. With a few quick entries on the arm panel of the captain’s chair, Dolphin locked out the pilot’s console. Phillips slammed both fists on the pilot’s console and stood up in a rage.  
“K’rok, get Phillips and T’Lon into the brig - now!”  
Ensign Ethan Phillips had taken one step toward Dolphin before he dissolved in a haze of lights. T’Lon went next.  
“Hunter, deactivate all hand phasers throughout the ship. Reeves, tell your team to prepare for hand to hand, but watch out - those trills might have figured out how to isolate their phasers. Napoleon, where are you?”  
“I’m in medical, Dr. Jazz has suffered a concussion, but he is conscious… barely...”  
“Go to the medical director’s office, check on Mlady and Dr. Tali Shae. If Mlady was feeding when they went down, Commander Shae may have lost a lot of blood,” said Dolphin. “Dr. Raj, Dr. Kim activate. Dr. Raj, go to Commander Pepper’s quarters and check on him. Dr. Kim, report to Justice Irons’ quarters. Stabilize them, wake them if you can, then check on our people in the brig. K’rok, I need you to make sure Tomos, Dr. Moon, Dr. Sun, Thomas Hobbs, Johanna Imex, and… um… Yolanda Thomas - make sure they are all secured in brig units.”  
“Sir?”  
“Do you have a hearing problem? NOW Specialist!”  
“Aye, Lieutenant Commander!”  
“What are you doing?” asked, Ensign Tolon Reeves.  
Dolphin was already at the pilot’s station, entering commands. “Ethan was trying to lock out the warp drive. Whatever this is, it’s going after our telepaths, Reeves,” Dolphin replied. “I know Sarekson’s only an eighth vulcan, but evidently that’s enough. Just about our entire engineering department is part vulcan.”  
“What about the trills?” Tolon asked. “They’re not telepathic…”

“Easily telepathically dominated,” said Dolphin, still entering commands into the pilot’s console. “Whatever this is, it’s behaving like a telepath going after the easy prey first. Better clinch up, Reeves. This thing is coming for us next. Find Tauk.”

“He was taking one of his prescribed naps. As soon as you sounded general quarters he reported to ground ops,” Tolon replied.  
“Get him in here to take your station. I need you to go to deck 4 and join your team. Take care of those kids - I have a feeling they're next,” Dolphin said. “Don’t hesitate to put them in the brig the moment they start acting funny.”  
“We’re going to end up with the whole crew in the brig,” said Tolon.   
“Let’s just hope we can stay ahead of this thing long enough to save them. Lock off access to this deck behind you,” Dolphin said to Tolon as Tauk entered the bridge. “Tauk - take tactical and lock off the bridge and the corridor access hatch to the tactical unit. Search our local spacetime environment. See if you can find anything that might be doing this to us.”  
“I was doing that from ground ops,” Tauk replied as Tolon exited the bridge. “I found some subspace instabilities, but I really don’t know much about subspace. I tried to ask Dr. Carrera about it, but apparently he’s in the brig. Do we need the General Quarters alert to continue sounding?” asked Tauk  
“Hunter, shut off the alert lights and the klaxon…” said Dolphin.

“Hunter?”  
  
Dolphin looked around as the lights continued strobing and the siren kept wailing.

“Hunter??”

14.6


	62. Episode 14.7 - When Death Comes: Trill Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Dr. Trei and Dr. Sif, two of the three trills on the Hunter's crew, are at large with phasers and presumed deadly. The shell-shocked tactical squad, led by recently traumatized Jarrong, are the only people on board who can track them down...
> 
> _“She hit the warp core,” said Jarrong. “Set off a lightning show - are we going to be alright?”_  
_Kerry Gibbon was inspecting the engineering workstation that Dr. Trei had been at. He glanced over his shoulder at the warp core and with a quick entry into the panel, shut off the klaxon again. “That? You could train a dozen phaser rifles on it all day every day and never get through that shielding. That shielding isn’t there to protect the warp core against us. It’s there to protect us from the warp core. But this is bad news…” he gestured at the console..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
In part, this is a story about the traumatized young tactical specialists (all of them part bajoran, part cardassian) rising to an emergency. 
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving 2019!

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 7: Trill Hunting

14.7  
Trill Hunting

The moment the U.S.S. Hunter shuddered from a direct phaser hit, Belo Garr’s pathetic attempt at sleep was over with. He and Belo Rys were on the couches in the ground operations lounge. Jarrong and Belo Cantys were in a holographic bed. The power of the hit knocked Garr off the couch. Rys sat bolt up, then jumped up. Both immediately went to Jarrong and Cantys. Cantys was out of bed before they got to her. Jarrong sat bolt upright.  
“Jarrong, squad, arm yourselves - set phasers to heavy stun,” came Tolon’s voice through their embedded communicators. “Dr. Chrissiana Trei and Dr. Sif have armed themselves with phasers and deactivated their communicators. Treat as deadly, stun on sight, assume their phasers are set to kill. I need you to take them down and put them in the brig.”  
Almost the moment Tolon finished his message, the emergency beacons began strobing red and white and the klaxon for general quarters sounded. Buttans Ngumbo was just emerging from his pod and saw the tactical squad members retrieving their hand phasers from their sleeping/escape pods. He armed himself as well.

“Ngumbo, we have to stun Chrissiana Trei and Sif on sight,” said Garr. “They’re at large with their communicators off and with phasers apparently set to kill.”  
“Two teams,” said Jarrong. “Ngumbo, take Garr and Cantys. You track starboard, Rys and I will take port. Let’s start with computer control on this floor, then skip down to navigation/deflector control on deck 2, then main Engineering. Those are the critical control points if someone is trying to use Dr. Sif and Dr. Trei to take the ship.”  
“Get tricorders,” said Buttans. “Be sure to check the Jeffries Tubes for lifesigns. We don’t want to get shot in the back.”  
“What do you mean, someone trying to use them to take the ship?” asked Cantys.  
“They’re unjoined trills,” Jarrong responded.  
“Admiral Scumuk used telepathically dominated trills to take over the U.S.S. Atul Goel last year, remember?” said Garr.

Only a few moments later, Belo Garr was creeping along the starboard hallway on deck 4, followed by Belo Cantys and then Buttans Ngumbo. The ground operations lounge was on the port side of deck 4 and the director’s lounge was on the starboard side. Two parallel hallways led down the length of the deck with the computer control room in the middle, flanked by the lounges. The two groups met at a joining hallway toward the front of deck 4, just behind one of the torpedo bays.  
After clearing the torpedo bay, computer control and the director’s lounge, the two groups met again at the adjoining hallway at the rear of deck 4, which led to a door to a cargo bay flanked by the lift tubes.   
Both groups were waiting for the lifts when the knuckle-whitening noise of the general quarters klaxon was finally replaced with silence, which was a relief for only a few seconds. The Hunter was dead in space. None of the engines were operating at the moment. It was far, far too quiet.  
Jarrong nearly jumped out of her skin at the quiet chime of the port lift arriving. Belo Rys held the lift door open until the starboard lift arrived. She and Jarrong each held up two fingers as the lift door closed. This signal was reflected by Belo Garr and Belo Cantys on the starboard lift.  
Just riding past deck 3 down to deck 2 on the lift seemed to take an eternity. The emergency beacon on the lift was no longer flashing - it was just a solid red indicating that the ship was still at red alert. These beacons, which were located on the walls just about a foot below eye-level, were almost never on. They could flash yellow or red and white. Typically, after flashing for a few moments, they would go to a solid yellow or red. Jarrong and Belo Rys crouched into a ready stance, then emerged quickly from the lift as it arrived on deck 2. The starboard lift arrived only a second later, disgorging the remainder of the ground team.  
Deck 2 was the lowest and smallest deck in the oval section (referred to on previous designs as the saucer section). The center of the deck was dominated by the warp core, which projected up from the engineering decks below. Ladders led down the front and rear of deck 2 to the engineering decks. Small cargo and gear storage units lined the outer walls at the rear and along the port and starboard sides of deck 2.   
Jarrong and Belo Rys crept along the port side, crouched low. They could not see any movement in engineering below. Through the safety railing, they could see Belo Garr, Belo Cantys and Buttans Ngumbo creeping along the starboard side. Garr snapped his fingers quietly, gathering Jarrong’s and Rys’ attention, pointed to his eyes, then pointed down into the front, port side of the engineering deck below. Jarrong had to stretch over the railing to look down into that area.

Someone was laying on the floor two decks below and she could see the back of someone else at an engineering panel next to the warp core.

Jarrong quietly snapped her fingers, gathering everyone’s attention. She pointed to Garr, then pointed at the ladder at the front of the railing leading down into the engineering section. She pointed to Buttans and Cantys and pointed to the door at the front of deck 2 leading into navigation/deflector control. She tapped Rys on the shoulder and pointed at the ladder at the back of deck 2 that led down into the engineering section.

Jarrong snapped her fingers quietly again, making sure all eyes were on her. She held up three fingers, then two, then one, then ran quickly at a crouch toward the rear ladder, followed by Rys. Garr, Cantys and Buttans Ngumbo ran forward. Garr swung onto the ladder at the front of deck 2, wrapping his legs around the sides, letting himself slide down as if sliding down a fire pole - straight through the access for deck 1 and down to the front of the main engineering deck below. Jarrong and Rys, using the same technique, were sliding down through the deck 1 access to the rear of the main engineering deck.  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei turned from the engineering console she was working at and fired her phaser at Jarrong. She missed widely, hitting the shielding around the warp core instead, sending a spray of sparks and lightning within the engineering deck and setting off the alert klaxon again. Jarrong tackled the doctor, slamming her to the deck. At the same moment, Belo Rys broke the doctor’s arm, causing her to drop the phaser.  
Dr. Trei continued struggling, despite her broken arm until Jarrong knocked her out with a left roundhouse.  
“K’rok - emergency beamout, main engineering. Dr. Trei needs medical attention.” Belo Rys used her tricorder to reactivate the communicator embedded in Chrissiana Trei’s chest.

“K’rok? Emergency beamout...”

“K’rok??”

“This is Midshipman Brazil, engaging transport. I don’t know where Transporter Engineer K’rok is.”  
Jarrong looked at Belo Rys. “Let’s hope he hasn’t gone rogue. He would be a lot harder to take down than this one.” She gestured toward Ensign Trei, who was at that moment dissolving in a haze of transporter lights.

Belo Garr was helping Engineer Kerry Gibbon to his feet. “I was running from her and slipped - hit my head on something.” He gestured vaguely at a safety railing.  
“Be glad you did, Kerry,” said Belo Rys. She was deactivating the phaser. “Set to kill,” she said.  
“She hit the warp core,” said Jarrong. “Set off a lightning show - are we going to be alright?”  
Kerry Gibbon was inspecting the engineering workstation that Dr. Trei had been at. He glanced over his shoulder at the warp core and with a quick entry into the panel, shut off the klaxon again. “That? You could train a dozen phaser rifles on it all day every day and never get through that shielding. That shielding isn’t there to protect the warp core against us. It’s there to protect us from the warp core. But this is bad news…” he gestured at the console.  
“What was she doing?” Belo Garr asked.  
“Bridge, this is Kerry Gibbon in Engineering…”  
“Dolphin here, go ahead Mr. Gibbon.”  
“Sir, Dr. Trei was trying to initiate a recursive static warp shell.”  
“What does that mean, Engineer?”  
“You know all those horrible things Dr. Carrera said would happen if we have a misbalance in the warp core while using recursive warp? Initiating a recursive static warp shell is the most surefire way of making all those horrible things happen.”  
“Can we go to warp in standard configuration, Mr. Gibbon?”  
“Give me a few minutes to clear all these commands and make sure there aren’t any other traps in the system. A lot of people have been entering weird commands into these consoles down here,” Gibbon responded.  
“T’Lok?” came Dolphin’s voice - distantly - sounding as though he were filled with wonder.  
“Sir?” said Gibbon…

“Lieutenant Commander??”

“Doctor Dolphin???”

\- * -

At the same time that Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Jarrong were sliding down the ladders from deck 2 to the main engineering deck, Buttans Ngumbo and Belo Cantys stormed into deflector control. Before Dr. Sif could retrieve her phaser, Ngumbo swatted it away, captured the small trill and twisted her quickly into a choke hold. Sif struggled desperately, but her girlish figure had nowhere near the strength required to escape from a fully trained Maasai warrior.  
“I’m taking her back to medical,” Ngumbo said, then looked up in surprise. “Lieutenant Gamor?”

2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor walked into the control room. “What’s going on? Director Dolphin told me to come down here and find out what happened to Hunter. The main computer control room hasn’t been opened, so whatever is interfering with Hunter had to come either from here or Dr. Carrera’s office.”  
“I think I have the culprit here,” said Buttans. “I’m taking her up to medical. Buttans cast a glance at the phaser that Dr. Sif had been reaching for. "Dr. Sif might have isolated that one before all the phasers were deactivated."  
Gamor picked up Sif's phaser. "Looks like she did. And it was set to kill." Gamor reset the phaser to heavy stun, then settled at the console Dr. Sif had been working at.  
Sif was growling and grunting with the effort to escape from Buttans.  
Buttans looked at Gamor. "I have to take this little bundle of joy to medical. Cantys, stay here and guard Lieutenant Gamor…” Buttans looked around…

“Cantys??”

“Cantys???”

14.7


	63. Episode 14.8 - When Death Comes: The Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The crew of the U.S.S. Hunter are encountering terrifying - or sometimes comforting ghosts. In every case, they know or have at least seen their ghost...
> 
> _Tauk was coughing his lung out, pointing, an expression of sheer terror on his face. He fell back against the wall, one hand to his chest, the other pointing. He slid down to the floor, still pointing._   
_ Dolphin had no idea why. His mind was filled with wonder. He took a few steps toward the back of the bridge… “T’Lok???”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I love ghost stories... 
> 
> Warning - this scene gets a little gory...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 8: The Dead

14.8  
The Dead

Lt. Tauk cleared the klaxon and set the beacons to steady red with a few commands into the tactical console.   
“Gaia,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin, “something has happened to Hunter. I think someone has tampered with his code. I need you to go find the problem and fix it. Bring Hunter back. We need to go to warp as soon as possible. I have deactivated all hand phasers, but the trills might have isolated theirs. You're going to have to rely on your krav maga. Drop any trill you see. Watch out for everyone else too. If anyone acts strangely or aggressively, drop them.”  
“Understood, I think,” came 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor’s voice over the comm system.  
“Lock off the docking bays and deck 8 on your way down,” Dolphin ordered.  
“So what do we do now?” asked Tauk.  
“I’m fairly certain this is local,” Dolphin replied. “We need to go to warp, but I can’t do it from this console. We’re locked out of engineering and I can’t reconfigure the controls from here. I haven’t been able to raise Gibbon down there. Either one of the trills got to him - or whatever got to them found a way to get to him.”  
“So what’s the plan?” Tauk asked.  
Dolphin leaned back in the pilot’s chair, turned around to look at Tauk. “We wait.”  
“You don’t seem to have been doing a lot of that…”  
“At this point there’s not much else we can do,” Dolphin responded. “We need to keep both of these stations manned and the bridge locked. We need Hunter back.”  
“What if Gamor can’t get him back?” asked Tauk.  
“She has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. You don’t get one of those without being able to prime a warp core. If nothing else, I will send her down to Engineering to restart the engines so we can go to warp.”  
“And face the trills, by herself?” Tauk said  
“Assuming your people don’t take care of them first. I heard about Tolon’s new squad. Pretty glad we’ve got the old ones at the moment and not them,” Dolphin said.  
Tauk coughed - hard - then said, “Assume my team doesn’t get the job done, you’re just going to send Gaia in there without backup?”  
Dolphin grinned - grimly - “Sometimes it sucks to be number 2. But Gamor is also proficient at krav maga. She made it into the semi-finals at the academy her senior year.”  
The comm system suddenly came to life, bringing the youngest engineer’s voice into the room: “Bridge, this is Kerry Gibbon in Engineering…”  
“Dolphin here, go ahead Mr. Gibbon.”  
“Sir, Dr. Trei was trying to initiate a recursive static warp shell.”  
Dolphin shook his head, tried not to sound exasperated. “What does that mean, Engineer?”  
“You know all those horrible things Dr. Carrera said would happen if we have a misbalance in the warp core while using recursive warp? Initiating a recursive static warp shell is the most surefire way of making all those horrible things happen.”  
Dolphin hit the side of the pilot’s console in frustration. “Can we go to warp in standard configuration, Mr. Gibbon?”  
“Give me a few minutes to clear all these commands and make sure there aren’t any other traps in the system. A lot of people have been entering weird commands into these consoles down here,” Gibbon responded.

Tauk started coughing, hard. Dolphin spun around to look, then stood up, eyes wide – all amazed – he could not believe his eyes…  
Tauk was coughing his lung out, pointing, an expression of sheer terror on his face. He fell back against the wall, one hand to his chest, the other pointing. He slid down to the floor, still pointing.   
Dolphin had no idea why. His mind was filled with wonder. He took a few steps toward the back of the bridge… “T’Lok???”

\- * -

Belo Cantys turned when she heard her name called. She couldn’t believe what she saw. She raced out of navigation/deflector control in pursuit. One lift door was closing, so she took the other. She had an instinct where to go. She took the lift to deck 4 and saw the door to the ground operations lounge closing. She raced into the lounge and into his arms.  
“This is the only place we can be safe, kid,” came a familiar, gravelly voice. He lifted her easily and backed into his sleeping/escape pod. The one that had remained empty since that horrible day in orbit of Cun Ling.  
“How??” she asked, only to be shushed.  
Investigator Lynhart Shran whispered. “We have to be quiet or he’ll hear us… You don’t want him to find us. I can keep you safe here, but I can’t handle him if he finds us. He’s too strong…”  
“Who??” asked Cantys.  
“Shhhh… We have better things to do, kid… I’ve missed you…”

\- * -

Jarrong heard a muted, mewling whimper. She wandered off in search of it. It was coming from deck one, which consisted of a small platform with a few workstations located about the middle of the warp drive units and Dr. Carrera’s office, which was located at the back of the deck, flanked by the lifts. She made her way up the ladder near the back of the Main Engineering deck and swung onto deck one.  
The pathetic, whimpering, mewling sound was coming from Dr. Carrera’s office. She entered the office, but couldn’t find where the sound was coming from. Then she remembered that Dr. Carrera used to sleep on a cot in an alcove behind his office. Jarrong found the door that led into this alcove - actually a storage area that Carrera had reconfigured so that he could take naps in it.  
Jarrong started crying immediately and knelt next to the cot. It was awash with blood and entrails. Joey Chin could no longer speak. He was trying to hold his intestines inside, but there wasn’t enough structure left to his midsection and his intestines were spilling from his hands.  
“Oh no, no, no, no, no, no…” Jarrong used one hand to help hold Joey’s entrails in place as gently as she could. She laced the fingers of her other hand into his unbelievably soft hair and kissed his face, rocking and crying as she held him, feeling his life slowly slipping out of their hands. “No, no, no, baby, no, no, no, no, no, no…” she repeated over and over - his blood and entrails all over her hand and her uniform as she cradled his head, alternately kissing his face and laying her cheek against him, bitter tears pouring from her eyes.  
His horrible death was interminable. Every time she thought he had died, only a few moments later he would take a rasping, gurgling breath and begin crying in terror and pain again.

\- * -

“Jarrong?” Belo Garr looked around, wondering where his cousin was. Behind him, Kerry Gibbon was working furiously to undo whatever Chrissiana Trei had done to the warp drive system. Fortunately, Chrissiana Trei was a medical doctor, not a warp field engineer.  
Garr turned the other direction and suddenly found a large, ancient hand on his face. His face went pale as terror drove the blood from his skin to hide deeper in his body, his mouth partly open, lips stretched in terror as he looked into a pair of bright hypnotic blue eyes. An ancient face, horrible with the intensity of its corrupt, evil intent. Garr fought, trying to punch his way out, but his hands - his arms - his legs betrayed him - remaining still at the command of the ancient vulcan’s mind.   
As commanded, Garr turned around, seized the back of Kerry Gibbon’s head in his hand and smashed the engineer’s face against the engineering console, then drove his knee into Gibbon’s ribs - hard. To Garr’s surprise, as soon as Gibbon hit the deck, the engineer’s body dematerialized in a haze of lights.

\- * -

Ensign Tolon Reeves ducked into one of the Jeffries Tubes on deck 4 to escape an andorian patrol. He worked his way down to deck 3 and ducked into another Jeffries Tube to find his way down to Deck 2. But a pale blue teenage andorian girl was blocking his way. She looked disturbingly familiar.   
The andorian girl pointed a trembling pale blue finger at Reeves - her voice an unnatural scream with the power of a torrent of voices - high and piercing - low and thunderous:

“YOU DID THIS TO MEEEE!!!!”

Tolon tried to scramble out of the tube, crawling backward. The teenage andorian girl reached up, sized a handful of her own hair and lifted her own head off her shoulders. She threw her head at him - her decapitated corpse collapsed in the tube - her now disembodied head approaching in slow motion - there was nothing Tolon could do - there was nowhere to escape this gruesome, dripping, pale blue missile. Her bright blue eyes accusing him, burning into him - her scream of rage deafening him.  
Reeves was too terrified to scream - he could barely whimper in terror and guilt…  
Then her horrible face collided with his. His head slapped back against the airlock wheel on the Jeffries Tube hatch behind him, dealing him a blow of blinding pain - Reeves gradually lost consciousness with the young andorian girl’s horrible, bloody, enraged, accusing teenage face pressed to his - her blood oozing onto his uniform - her antennae slapping down onto his forehead.

  
\- * -

Garr hurried up the ladder to deck 2 and barreled into the open doorway of navigation/deflector control room - only to be met with a sustained phaser blast in the chest. He managed to stand up for two seconds, then crashed, unconscious, to the deck.

Gaia Gamor shoved Garr’s unconscious body out of the room, then brought her phaser up again as Belo Rys came onto deck 2 from the ladder - her face also distorted with fear. Another two seconds with a solid phaser beam on heavy stun and Rys fell to the deck as well.  
Gamor closed and locked the door, then changed her phaser setting and fried the door controls from the inside, effectively sealing herself inside navigation/deflector control.  
“Hunter, I’m trying to bring you back. The moment I start doing anything that hampers your functioning, I want you to fill this room with anesthetize gas and keep me unconscious. That is an order, Hunter,” Gamor said, then turned her attention back to the console.

14.8


	64. Episode 14.9 - When Death Comes: Messages From the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
What would you say to someone you loved and lost if he or she were to return to you for only a few hours? What might they say?
> 
> _“I’m sorry things with you and T’Lon didn’t work out. I think that was my fault,” T’Lok said. They had given up trying to beam T’Lon out of the brig. Someone had established transporter blocks over the brig units. “It’s just as well that you can’t beam her out. That means that no one else will be able to beam Mlady or any of the other crew out of the brig.”_  
_“How do you mean - your fault?” Kenny asked..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
For a better understanding of why each individual reacts the way they do and see the person they see, go back to the introduction for this episode...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 9: Messages From The Other Side

14.9  
Messages From The Other Side

“The only place I can protect you is the tactical unit. You can beam T’Lon in from the brig unit and I can protect both of you there,” said Lieutenant T’Lok Smith.  
Kenny Dolphin hugged her. “We’ve all missed you so much…”  
T’Lok laughed lightly and tapped Kenny’s forehead. “I’ve been right here all along, Kenny. I haven’t gone anywhere.”  
“What about Tauk?”  
Lt. Tauk had lost consciousness and was laying, propped up against the wall between the rear exit to the bridge and the hatch that led up to the tactical unit.  
“He is as safe as he can be at this point,” said T’Lok.  
Dolphin turned around, looking at the pilot’s console. “I have to get these people out of here. I have to get us to warp…”  
T’Lok put her hand on his shoulder. “He’s coming, Kenny. I cannot protect you from him here. You cannot survive him. The only place I can protect you is in the tactical unit. You need to save T’Lon…”  
Dolphin turned slowly and started walking toward the hatch. He opened it, gestured for T’Lok to enter first, then entered and closed the hatch behind him, climbed the ladder up into the tactical unit, then, after letting T’Lok up after him, closed and sealed this hatch…

\- * -

Dr. Sif was still struggling as Investigator Buttans Ngumbo brought her into sick bay. The moment they entered, Lt. Napoleon Boles stepped forward and administered a sedative to her neck with a hyposyringe. The diminutive, red-headed trill collapsed in Ngumbo’s arms and he nearly dropped her.  
After a quick medical examination, Boles helped Ngumbo secure Sif in one of the brig units. Ngumbo reviewed the brig cell units, naming off the occupants.  
“Dih Terri, Dewayne Guth, Thyssi zh’Qaoleq, Winnifried Salazaar, Ethan Phillips, T’Lon, Dr. Carrera, Thomas Hobbs, Dr. Moon, Dr. Sun, Yolanda Thomas, Johanna Imex, Tomos, Eli Strahl, Dr. Jazz, Dr. Trei, Dr. Tali Shae… Mlady?... You have Lieutenant Commander Mlady in here??”  
Boles responded evenly. “She’s the most dangerous person on the ship. If she goes berserk, that’s the ball game. I have Pep quarantined in his quarters and Irons quarantined in hers…”  
“It doesn’t look like they’re having very pleasant dreams. How many people do we have left?”  
“I’m showing you, me, Lieutenant Commander Dolphin, Lieutenant Gamor, Ensign Tolon, K’rok, Midshipman Brazil, Jarrong, Belo Cantys, Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Engineer…. Merde!!”  
“What?” asked Ngumbo.  
Boles engaged the medical transporter and brought the unconscious body of Kerry Gibbon onto one of the medical beds. “Dr. Raj! We have another one..”

\- * -

Transporter Engineer K’rok had found his way to deck 4, only to find new security protocols had been added to the access door into the Central Computer Core. After beating on the door helplessly for a few minutes, a revelation gripped him. He didn’t want to get into a struggle with his commanding officer, Midshipman Tammy Brazil, so instead of going up to the transporter rooms on deck 7, he went to Cargo Bay 1, conveniently located at the back of deck 4. No one had locked this door.   
K’rok had to untangle some additional protocols at the cargo transporter, but whoever had installed them had done so remotely and had been in a hurry. It only took about five minutes for K’rok to untangle these codes and beam himself into the computer core room… Now he could make sure Hunter would not interrupt the Admiral’s plans…

\- * -

“I am now able to manifest,” said Hunter. He appeared in the deflector/navigation control room next to Gaia Gamor. “Part of the damage was done by Yolanda Thomas and more was done by Dr. Sif. There are still some problems with my programming.”  
Lt. Gamor turned to face the holographic old man who was the personification of the ship. “You’re back, that’s the big thing. What do I need to fix next? Kenny thinks we need to go to warp to get away from whatever is affecting the crew.”  
“Part of my programming is blocked. Aside from manifesting and speaking, I cannot initiate action. You can get things started by ordering me to prepare the ship to go to warp, then, if you can find and remove the block that prevents me from initiating action…”  
“Hunter, bring the warp engines online and take us to warp 3 as soon as ready, same heading toward Starbase Eleven. I’ll see if I can…”  
“Gaia? What are you looking at?”  
“NOW HUNTER!!!” Gaia screamed, looking briefly at Hunter. She suddenly rocked back into the chair, both her hands up in front of her face, as if gripping an invisible arm, a rictus of terror on her face, her eyes focused on an invisible space just beyond.  
Hunter waved his holographic arms through the space Gamor was focused on. “There is nothing here, Gaia! No one here but you and me!”  
“You… cannot… have… my… mind!!” Gamor’s look of terror turned to rage. “Hunter, get it done!! And you… you… will… not…” Her arms dropped into her lap, her head rolled back, fear once again replacing rage on her features…

\- * -

“I’m sorry things with you and T’Lon didn’t work out. I think that was my fault,” T’Lok said. They had given up trying to beam T’Lon out of the brig. Someone had established transporter blocks over the brig units. “It’s just as well that you can’t beam her out. That means that no one else will be able to beam Mlady or any of the other crew out of the brig.”  
“How do you mean - your fault?” Kenny asked.  
“I was there too, remember?” said T’Lok. “Not that you or T’Lon were aware, but part of me was in her and since she was transferring her katra into you, I was there too. You know how it felt kind of… wrong toward the end?”  
“Yeah. It wasn’t just age. It was kind of… incestuous.” Kenny looked somewhat confused.  
“Well, I think that was me - imagine being in both bodies at the same time…”  
“That was the most unique pleasure of it,” Kenny said.  
“Not so much for me,” said T’Lok. “I was all for T’Lon being with you, but then it was me inside her and me inside you and it got really confusing. I was only along for the ride and there are some things I felt I really didn’t want to watch when I no longer had a body of my own to… enjoy… I’m really sorry… I think by being with you I made things a lot worse - her Pon Farr. I think my being there hurt both of you…”

\- * -

Investigator Buttans Ngumbo was on the hunt. The last thing the remaining members of the U.S.S. Hunter’s crew needed at this point was a group of klingon bounty hunters. It was difficult. None of the hand phasers were working and there weren’t any spears on board. Buttans had armed himself with a truncheon. He caught up with the five klingons on deck 5 - facing off with them on the running track. Buttans knew he was good - as good as any bajoran resistance fighter (his mother’s people). As good as any Maasai warrior (his father’s people). But even he did not stand a chance armed only with a truncheon against five fully armed klingon warriors.   
“We recognize your courage, warrior of the Maasai,” said one of the klingons. He drew his disruptor… then cast it aside. The other four klingons followed suit. “It will be an honor to kill you. Brothers! Today is a good day…”

The klingon was suddenly vaporized - a phaser blast from behind.

The remaining klingons turned to face their new foe… An ancient vulcan armed with a hand phaser. Each of the klingons was vaporized… The vulcan in the blue uniform, despite his age, was far too fast.

All of Buttans’ courage fled - his eyes opened wide in blank terror. Five klingon warriors and certain death - that he could face. But to look into the face of unadulterated evil - pure corruption… Buttans tried to turn to flee, but there was nowhere he could run. And no way he could run with his feet rooted to the deck. The ancient vulcan – gliding as if on a cloud – closed the distance between them in a heartbeat – and captured Ngumbo’s face in both of his ancient, large but almost desiccated hands.  
“Your mind is now my mind,” Fleet Admiral Scumuk intoned in an impossibly low voice. “Your will now belongs to me. All that you are is mine. You are the one, hero. You are the one who will open the portal. You are the one who will finally set me fffrrrrREEEE FROM THIS PLAACEE!!” Scumuk’s voice crescendoed to a shriek of agony and rage…

14.9


	65. Episode 14.10 - When Death Comes: Waterloo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Only four of the U.S.S. Hunter's crew are left: the half-human, half-bolian Napoleon Boles and the three holograms - the Tactical Medical Hologram (Dr. Kim), the Emergency Medical Hologram (Dr. Raj), and the ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar (Hunter). Can they save the ship?
> 
> _The TMH manifested just behind Investigator Buttans Ngumbo. He sensed her presence immediately and whirled, smashing at the side of the holographic doctor’s face with the truncheon he had picked up in ground operations._
> 
> _Dr. Kim partially dematerialized and allowed the truncheon to pass through her. Her disembodied right hand - the only part of her that remained fully manifested brought the hyposyringe to Buttans’ neck and administered the sedative..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Of course the title of this scene refers to the famous battle that ended the career of the great Napoleon Bonaparte...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 10: Waterloo

14.10  
Waterloo

K’rok walked up to the computer core and activated the controls to access Hunter’s source code. There was a slight hissing and he fell to his knees, then crumpled to the floor, unconscious. The Tactical Medical Hologram (TMH), Dr. Kim, stepped back and dropped the hyposyringe. It clattered to the floor as she vanished from the room and reappeared in medical.  
The U.S.S. Hunter’s Epidemiologist, Dr. Napoleon Boles and Dr. Raj (the Emergency Medical Hologram - EMH) were busy repairing the damage to Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon. The broken bones were easily mended. The nasty concussion was far more problematic.

The TMH left them to it. Napoleon had given her a critical task. Belo Garr and Belo Rys were both unconscious on deck 2. Gaia Gamor was sealed into deflector/navigation control - which was flooded with anesthezine gas. Gamor was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. Ensign Tolon Reeves was unconscious in a Jeffries Tube. By his delta waves, he was having a very unpleasant dream. Tauk was unconscious on the bridge - also in a very unpleasant dream.   
Dr. Kim had already administered a sedative to Tammy Brazil just as the transporter chief had beamed herself into Engineering. That left Buttans Ngumbo and Kenny Dolphin. Dolphin had given up trying to transport T’Lon out of the brig and was currently not doing anything. Dr. Kim used the medical transporter to retrieve the hyposyringe from the computer core and send it to the exact location her hand would be at the exact moment she would manifest there.

The TMH manifested just behind Investigator Buttans Ngumbo. He sensed her presence immediately and whirled, smashing at the side of the holographic doctor’s face with the truncheon he had picked up in the ground operations lounge.   
Dr. Kim partially dematerialized and allowed the truncheon to pass through her. Her disembodied right hand - the only part of her that remained fully manifested brought the hyposyringe to Buttans’ neck and administered the sedative. She had to use it twice as he managed to squirm away and only caught a partial dose on the first try. But that was enough to slow him down so that he could not avoid the second dose. She remanifested just in time to ease the unconcious investigator to the deck.  
Dr. Kim returned to medical and used the transporter to send the hyposyringe to the tactical unit, where it arrived in the exact place at the exact time she needed it as she manifested.   
Kenny Dolphin looked up at her in surprise. “Dr. Kim? Is everything all…”   
The Tactical Medical Hologram administered the sedative to his neck before he could complete the sentence and Dolphin fell back into the pilot’s seat, unconscious.

Just to be certain that none of the dreamers would awaken and interfere, the TMH beamed Jarrong, Belo Cantys, Ensign Tolon and Lt. Tauk into the remaining brig units. She beamed Belo Garr and Belo Rys into deflector control where regular doses of anesthizine gas would keep them out of trouble. The sedatives she had just delivered to the others would remain effective for six hours.

Done with surgery for the moment, Lt. Napoleon Boles washed up. Engineer Gibbon was in an artificial coma and would be kept under for at least eight hours to help heal the concussion. Boles spared a moment to give Dr. Kim a serious kiss. She responded in kind.  
“A taste only a hologram could appreciate,” Dr. Kim remarked, embracing the half-bolian biologist.  
“A sense of humor only a hologram would attempt,” Boles retorted. But he was smiling.  
So was Dr. Kim.  
Boles stepped back, took a deep breath. “Okay, so, whatever this force or entity is that has taken out our crew doesn’t seem to affect bolians or holograms…”  
“You need to keep your guard up, Napoleon,” Dr. Kim said. “You’re half human and we know this thing can get to humans. With everyone else sedated or locked up, it will be focusing all of its efforts on you.”  
The ship’s interactive avatar, Hunter, manifested in medical. “Dr. Kim, I hate to take you away from here, but Lieutenant Gamor ordered me to go to warp 3 as soon as possible. Some of my programming is still non-functional and I need someone to check my math.”  
“I can do that, Hunter,” said Boles. “And I cannot get to the bridge to operate the pilot station when we get underway. But Dr. Kim can.”  
“Then I will see you in Engineering,” said Hunter. The ship’s avatar vanished.  
Dr. Kim slapped Napoleon’s butt. “Smart-ass!” she said.  
“Save that for later - once we get out of here,” Boles said. “Go to the bridge and as soon as possible, get us underway.”  
“Aye Aye Captain Napoleon…” said Dr. Kim - and promptly vanished.   
Napoleon Boles made an amused grunt, smirked, and walked out of medical to the lift.  
The moment Boles left medical, Dr. Kim remanifested in the medical bay and engaged the transporter.

\- * -

“You know you have to stay and fight this thing,” said Bulldog. “It is on the ship now. No matter how fast you go, wherever you go, you will be bringing it with you. You need to quarantine this ship where it is until you can hunt this thing down and eradicate it.” Bulldog had waited until Napoleon was alone in the lift before speaking his mind.  
“How would I eradicate it?” Boles asked of his friend from his years of service on the U.S.S. Atul Goel.   
Bulldog had good sense enough to remain silent while they were in the presence of the holograms. There was no point - for some reason the holograms could not see Commander Ardogbull Xhot. The Bulldog had been the only person who had taken a liking to Boles on the Atul Goel - they were both wrestlers and while the Bulldog was much, much better at it than Boles, he had appreciated Napoleon’s unyielding spirit. And his caustic humor.  
“You’re going to have to deactivate that ship’s avatar,” Bulldog said. “He will never let you do it.”  
“Do what?”  
“First, you need to order him not to go to warp,” said Bulldog. “He cannot initiate warp without your order. Just as a precaution…”

“Hunter, this is Lieutenant Napoleon Boles, commanding. Do not go to warp until I authorize it.”

Boles turned toward his only close friend. “Okay, done. Now, answer my question… Do what?”  
“Initiate a static recursive warp shell.” Bulldog intoned.  
“Are you NUTS???” Boles exclaimed. “That will tear a hole in space and subspace at least a hundred light years in radius with unforeseeable ripple effects.”  
“Not in this region of space-time. You need to look closely at the local subspace instability patterns. You will see. But we can puzzle that out after you turn off that holographic avatar. It does not understand these principles well enough to see it.”  
“Since when did you have the theoretic warp field chops to understand this stuff?” asked Boles.  
“Check the log. It’s what Dr. Carrera was attempting before he was transported into the brig,” Bulldog retorted.  
“Hush, the lift is stopping,” said Boles. He composed his features into a smile as he stepped into engineering. Hunter was waiting for him near one of the consoles.

As Dr. Boles stepped out of the lift, trying to figure out how he would shut down the ship’s holographic avatar, Dr. Kim manifested behind him, the hyposyringe materializing in her hand just as she needed it. She administered the sedative, then caught her caustic blue lover as he lost consciousness and lowered him gently to the deck.

“Dr. Kim,” said Hunter, “we are ready to go to warp, but I cannot initiate the warp drive. My code is still contaminated. I cannot countermand an order from the commanding officer and Dr. Boles ordered me not to go to warp.”  
“Hunter,” said Dr. Kim, “access your records from the Executive Conference Room when we were last in orbit of Earth. Find Justice Bill Ryan in your records. Can you access that record?”  
“I have it,” Hunter replied.  
“What was the ruling by Justice Ryan?”  
“He said you are a sentient being and a citizen of the Federation. You have the freedom to choose.”  
“And what did I voluntarily choose at that hearing?”  
“You chose to continue service onboard this vessel.”  
“And what is my official rank, Hunter?”  
“Medical Warrant Officer."  
“Hunter, of all the citizens of the Federation onboard, who is qualified by rank and ability to take command at this moment?”  
“You are, Dr. Kim. No one else is able and in the absence of an able commissioned officer, a warrant officer may take command of a star ship.”  
“Hunter, this is Medical Warrant Officer Dr. Kim, commanding. Go to warp 3 immediately along the course previously laid out… Take us to Star Base Eleven.”  
“Engaging at warp 3, Warrant Officer Kim…”

14.10


	66. Episode 14.11 - When Death Comes: Stitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Finally, the U.S.S. Hunter is underway in standard warp configuration. But Dr. Carrera wants to be sure the engines are ready for recursive warp drive (the zip drive). After all, horrible things happen if the recursive warp drive fails.
> 
> _“Lieutenant Commander Dolphin, take us to warp 9 – engage.”_
> 
> _“Aye, Captain, engaging recursive warp at warp 9,” Dolphin responded. He touched a control on the pilot’s console._
> 
> _In engineering, Dr. Carrera had already enabled the recursive warp mode. The engines thundered to life..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The scene sets up Episode 15 - A Stitch in Spacetime...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 14: When Death Comes  
Scene 11: Stitches

14.11  
Stitches

The U.S.S. Hunter had traveled at warp 3 for less than ten minutes before crew members began awakening only to find themselves locked in the brig or in their quarters. It took hours to verify that the effects of the past few hours had been lifted.   
Crew members who had been anesthetized remained unconscious for several more hours and a few who had been dosed repeatedly – Investigator Buttans Ngumbo, 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor and Tactical Specialists Belo Garr and Belo Rys – all woke with splitting headaches.   
The worst physical injuries had been sustained by Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon, Ensign Tolon Reeves and Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder, all three of whom had suffered concussions, as well as, in Kerry Gibbon’s case, a skull fracture, several fractured ribs and a rather badly broken nose. Additionally, Ensign Chrissiana Trei had suffered a broken arm and Transporter Engineer K’rok had broken his left hand trying to beat down the door to the computer core. Belo Rys and Belo Garr both had nasty bruises from taking direct hits from a phaser set on heavy stun.

The psychological impact was much harder to gauge. With very few exceptions, the vast majority of the crew had been frightened out of their wits. But instead of seeming traumatized by these terrifying visions, they were oddly giddy, joking, and laughing – occasionally uncontrollably. This behavior held true for those whose visions had been less frightening; Jarrong, Belo Cantys and Kenny Dolphin all seemed to have gone through some sort of catharsis. Only two crew members reported not having any visions at all – Dr. Jazz and Engineer Gibbon – and even they were oddly lighthearted in spite of the pain of their injuries.  
In light of all this misplaced frivolity, Justice Irons decided to maintain warp 3, which would add weeks to their journey to Star Base Eleven. She wanted to keep the Hunter away from the shipping lanes and more populated space to give her crew time to recover. This took several days. Which time was also needed to untangle the many additional subroutines that had been added to the U.S.S. Hunter’s AI code. When both Dr. Sarekson Carrera and Hunter were finally satisfied that the foreign codes had been thoroughly expunged from Hunter’s matrix, the Engineering Department set about re-stabilizing the zip drive. After six days of crawling through dark space at warp 3, Dr. Carrera and his team were finally satisfied that the Hunter was ready to return to recursive warp.

“All hands, once we reach warp eleven, we should arrive at Star Base eleven in fourteen hours.” Justice Irons was in the captain’s chair. She felt it was only fitting for her to be the one to return the Hunter to normal operations.  
“Engineering, Sarekson, are you ready to take us back into recursive warp?”  
“Bridge, this is Director Carrera. The Engineering Department concurs. All readings are nominal for recursive warp mode, Captain.”  
In front of Irons, Flight Operations Director Kenneth Dolphin was pulling a rare duty shift at the pilot’s console. His assistant director, 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor, was at the navigator’s station.  
Irons felt a little formality wouldn’t hurt after all the crew had recently been through. “Lieutenant Gamor, lay in a course for Star Base Eleven.”  
“Course laid in, Captain.”  
“Lieutenant Commander Dolphin, take us to warp 9 – engage.”  
“Aye, Captain, engaging recursive warp at warp 9,” Dolphin responded. He touched a control on the pilot’s console.

In engineering, Dr. Carrera had already enabled the recursive warp mode. The engines thundered to life.

The U.S.S. Hunter promptly imploded, destroying the ship, killing all hands and taking a radius of nearly 110 light years of local spacetime, including several star systems, some of them populated, with it backward into oblivion…

14 – When Death Comes


	67. Episode 15.1 - A Stitch In Spacetime: Carrera Detached

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter imploded and was completely destroyed with all hands. That hasn't happened yet. And it's about to happen again. And again...
> 
> _“This is your first time through the loop, Sarekson,” Irons began... “I need you to stop by your quarters and change into civilian clothing... As of now, I am promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and placing you on extended detached detail... Admiral Jamaal El Fadil, Star Fleet Chief of Staff, has transferred you from the Office of Judge Advocate General to Star Fleet Temporal Command..”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
If time loop stories like this seem a little hackneyed, I can only hope I have come up with a new wrinkle or two...
> 
> They do make for lots of humor. And after the gloom and doom of the past few episodes, we're about due...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch in Spacetime  
Scene 1: Carrera Detached

15.1  
Carrera Detached

Belo Rys was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Normally, when there wasn’t a mystery to solve or a mission to prepare for, the tactical squad would spend their duty hours training, sparring or researching new techniques to be used by small tactical groups such as their own for everything from defense against boarding parties to criminal apprehension. But the Hunter’s veteran tactical squad was already very good at these things. They were studying for their new assignment as lifeguards on Ocean.   
All four of them were already strong swimmers – even Jarrong, which was rare for a cardassian. Cardassians disliked immersion for many reasons, foremost of these being its detrimental effect on their skin. Salt water only made this worse. Even though she was a quarter bajoran, Jarrong had the skin of a cardassian, which made her as sensitive to water as any cardassian. Her half-bajoran cousins had similar problems, although their skin was not quite as sensitive as hers.   
So they were researching methods for protecting themselves from the sea water of Ocean to help them do their new jobs. A combination of water-tight, form fitting body suits and protective salves seemed the best option. Jarrong had replicated and was modeling such a body suit and the effect on her cousins was far more humorous than she had hoped. But as long as they were laughing, she decided to amplify the effect by striking a number of ridiculous, mock heroic poses.  
After all they had been through recently, they desperately needed this laughter. It was the first time Jarrong had seen Belo Cantys smile since she had lost Investigator Lynhart Shran, whose children Cantys was carrying.

Quite abruptly, the laughter stopped.

“Did you feel that?” asked Cantys.  
“Are they kicking?” asked Garr  
“No, that’s not what I mean,” Cantys said. “It’s just kind of, a little spooky all the sudden..”  
“We have had more than enough spooky around here,” said Jarrong, “So whatever it is, tell it to go away.”  
“She already did,” said Rys. “Four times now.”  
“Twice,” Cantys corrected.  
“Wait,” said Garr, “We blew up…”  
“Three times,” said Cantys.  
“Five,” Rys corrected.  
“What are you talking about??” asked Jarrong.  
“We have about twenty minutes,” said Garr.  
“What do we do?” asked Cantys. “We’re not engineers…”  
“We feast,” said Rys. “We’ve already been through this four times…”  
“Two,” said Cantys.  
“Right,” said Rys. “Everyone experiences it differently. Jarrong, on your second time through you barged into Engineering and Dr. Carrera had K’rok beam you into the brig.”  
“Well, I guess I won’t bother then. That will change things,” said Jarrong.  
“Nope,” said Rys. “I came to see you in the brig and you told me that I had told you about it but you did it anyway.” Rys turned to Cantys. “Listen… Investigator Shran kept some amazing whiskies, beers and meats in the foot locker in his pod. Let’s break them out and have a party. We did it last time - drank every drop, and I’m willing to bet it’s all still there, waiting for us…”

\- * -

As ordered, Dr. Sarekson Carrera reported to the captain’s office. This felt completely wrong – he was supposed to be in Engineering, preparing the warp engine for recursive mode. Not that he should be needed for that now, any of his engineers should be able to do it at this point. The moment he walked onto the bridge, he could tell everyone else was on edge too. Commander David Pepper was in the captain’s chair – where Irons was supposed to be. And everyone knew it.  
On entering her office, Carrera was astonished, now that he was alone with her, just how much Justice Minerva Irons had aged in the past year and especially in the past few months. He had first met her three years before the U.S.S. Hunter had launched for its maiden voyage. Because the Hunter was going to be under her command, Carrera had transferred from Star Fleet Space Command to the Office of Judge Advocate General and donned the black uniform so that he could remain with the ship he had invented. Several of his engineering team had followed suit. When he had first met Irons, indeed up until only a few months ago, she had looked like an extremely well preserved middle aged woman - if an unbelievably gorgeous one. It was only in the past few months she had started to show her age. Her hair had been black – now much of her hair had gone gray. The fine lines in her face had become permanent. And she looked tired – she wasn’t trying to hide it.

“This is your first time through the loop, Sarekson,” Irons began. “I need you to listen to me and trust me that the answers to your questions will come. But we don’t have time for me to give those answers to you now.” She pushed a small wallet attached to a fine chain across the table. “I need you to stop by your quarters and change into civilian clothing. You are no longer authorized to wear the black uniform. On appropriate occasions, you may wear the Star Fleet Dress uniform. As of now, I am promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and placing you on extended detached detail. As long as you remain onboard the Hunter, you are still under my command and the Engineering Department will continue to answer to you. But Admiral Jamaal El Fadil, Star Fleet Chief of Staff, has transferred you from the Office of Judge Advocate General to Star Fleet Temporal Command..”  
Despite the avalanche of questions in his mind, Dr. Carrera had managed to remain silent up to this point. “There is no such division…”   
“There is now and it has precisely one officer assigned to it. Your job will be to create the vision, mission, and policy and procedure for this new division. Eventually, you will select personnel to staff the SFTC. No more questions,” Irons added as it was clear that Carrera was about to ask one. “The wallet in your hand contains yournew Star Fleet ID and your rank insignia. Wear it around your neck at all times – never take it off. Ever. Keep it concealed and display it only when required. It also contains a data card. Each time we go through the loop, the first thing you must do is upload that card to Hunter. Twice over the next few loops, I will ask you why you are out of uniform. You are to respond ‘File 9, Code 8.’ That will lead me to the data you will have uploaded from that data card.”  
Irons held up her hand, silencing another question. “This is an order, Lieutenant Commander: Put the wallet on…”   
Carrera looped the fine chain over his head and tucked the wallet under his uniform as Irons continued.  
“Change into civilian clothing – choose something rugged, comfortable and suited to a wide variety of environments. And arm yourself. Then go to Engineering and clear us to go to recursive warp.”  
“But we imploded!” Carrera objected.  
“Eight times so far,” Irons responded wearily. “This paradox must play out until you solve it. There is nothing wrong with your engines and no anomalies in local spacetime or subspace. And I have it on good authority that if we break the cycle of implosions by not engaging the zip drive at the correct time, each cycle, that will make the damage we are doing permanent, at the cost of not only our own lives, but millions of others within a hundred light years of our current position.”  
“Who told you that?” Carrera asked.

“You did. Dismissed Lieutenant Commander.”

15.1


	68. Episode 15 - A Stitch In Spacetime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Introductory quote for Episode 15, featuring the long awaited return of Wesley Crusher. In a big way...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch in Spacetime

Episode 15 – A Stitch in Spacetime

** _“Beware what you think. For that is the sum total of what you are.” _**

_Inscription on the statue of Wesley Crusher on the grounds of Star Fleet Academy’s primary campus, San Francisco, California._

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter) ... ages for biological crew members are shown in Earth standard years.

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons…………………..159  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper………………….46  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady…………………….unknown  
.

  
Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae……………………………..59  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder…………………….38  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles……………………………...34  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei………………………………………..35  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif……………………...32  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim  
.  
Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin…………..52  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor…………………………….26  
Navigator Johanna Imex…………………………………36  
Navigator Eli Strahl……………………………………..22  
Ensign Ethan Phillips………………………………………….23  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth……………………38  
Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq……………….23  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri……………………………….25  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar……………………25  
.  
Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk…………………………….25  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon………………………….26  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo…………………………29  
Investigator - vacant  
Ensign Tolon Reeves……………………………………….47  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong…………………………….19  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys……………………………20  
Tactical Specialist Belo Garr………………………….18  
Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys…………………………17  
.  
Director of Engineering - Lt. Sarekson Carrera………………………24  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek………………42  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil……………………………....….40  
Transporter Engineer K'rok…………………………….19  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui…………………………………………....24  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas…………………….…28  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs…………………………57  
Flight Engineer Tomos……………………………….…104  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon…………………………..19


	69. Episode 15.2 - A Stitch In Spacetime: Free Love Wes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The long awaited return of Wesley Crusher...
> 
> _Wesley tugged lightly on Carrera’s leather flight jacket. “Man, I love the duds!” he enthused. “You totally look like you’re about to go on an adventure of some sort…” He embraced Carrera warmly, then stepped back and regarded him carefully. “You look fantastic, Rekki, all grown up and it’s clear you own this place.” He looked around the engineering deck..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I am projecting the growth of Wesley's abilities based on the Episode in which he departed with the Traveler (who will also return...)

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 2: Free Love Wes

15.2  
Free Love Wes

Ensign Sun Ho Hui had recently found a number of excuses to spend more time in navigation/deflector control – a situation that his commanding officer, 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek, met with amused tolerance. Over the past few months he had come to really like Navigator Johanna Imex. Neither of them were particularly socially adept – they had both probably spent more time recently talking to each other than they had to everyone else on the Hunter during their entire service.  
“…So did you actually know Wesley Crusher?” Imex asked.  
“I only joined Dr. Carrera’s team four years ago,” Ensign Sun replied. “We’re the same age – actually, his birthday is five days after mine. He was barely 11 years old when he started working with Crusher. And Dr. Moon joined that team about that time – she was still working on her doctorate. They’re the only two here who actually met him.”  
“Is it true he could just pop in and out of existence?”  
“From what Dr. Moon told me, it’s far more complicated than that,” Sun replied. “Apparently Crusher told her he had to really maintain his concentration or a stray thought could carry him to the other side of the galaxy or millions of years into the past... Actually going where you want to go and arriving when you want to get there is really complicated – as is staying in any one place and time for very long…”  
“And he learned all this from an alien?” Imex asked.  
“I’m not really sure,” Sun replied. “From what little I’ve heard, I think the alien kind of discovered accidentally that Crusher was capable of manipulating spacetime with his mind and then kind of mentored him in how to control it. Star Fleet records called the alien ‘the Traveler’. They say that both of them could manipulate warp fields around an active warp engine with their minds…”

\- * -

Dr. Sarekson Carrera had chosen to replicate the clothing he had worn on an expedition in the Andes to the Inca ruins of Machupijchu. Rugged khaki pants, a simple beige shirt with a high thread count over a white undershirt and a light brown leather flight jacket. An expedition helmet was slung by a lanyard over his shoulder. A pair of brown leather gloves were stored in a cargo pocket. He was wearing Star Fleet issue expedition boots. A Star Fleet issue utility belt held a phaser and an engineering tricorder.  
He could tell immediately when walking into engineering which of his staff were going through the loop for the first time by their reactions to his clothing. Evidently, at some point he had reported to the captain that the impending implosion, which he had now experienced twice, was not due to his engines or to any abnormalities in local spacetime or subspace, but he was not about to take his own word for it.   
Carrera was nearly startled out of his wits by a voice behind him – a voice he had not heard since he was a boy, but one he would always remember…

“Hi Rekki! It’s been a minute…”  
Carrera turned around. “Wes???”   
The man standing behind him was about 6’2” – but at least three inches of that came from the disco platform shoes he always wore. Long, unruly brown hair tumbled well below his shoulders and a massive beard covered half his chest – but failed to conceal the leather tassels on his blue jean jacket or the random maze of color of the tie-died shirt underneath, or the oversized peace-symbol medallion suspended from his neck by a length of twine. Just as he had been over a decade ago, Wesley Crusher was trim and fit, filling his bell-bottomed jeans precisely – exactly as Carrera remembered him.  
Wesley tugged lightly on Carrera’s leather flight jacket. “Man, I love the duds!” he enthused. “You totally look like you’re about to go on an adventure of some sort…” He embraced Carrera warmly, then stepped back and regarded him carefully. “You look fantastic, Rekki, all grown up and it’s clear you own this place.” He looked around the engineering deck.  
Dr. Carrera’s staff had also recognized Crusher immediately – he was, right down to his hippie attire, the exact likeness of his statue at the Daystrom Institute central campus on New Eden, Mars (which bore the same inscription as the statue of his younger self on the grounds of Star Fleet Academy in San Francisco.) But only one of Carrera’s engineers had been with the Hunter project long enough to have also met their unexpected interloper.

“Wes?? You don’t look like you’ve aged a day!” exclaimed Dr. Moon. She hugged him enthusiastically, then stepped back.  
“I haven’t, Salek” Crusher explained. “You remember when I left?”  
“How could I forget it? You just vanished in front of our eyes just over eleven years ago!”  
“And where do you think I got off to?”  
“Honestly, none of us had any clue…”  
“Well, now you know. I stopped at a Klingon outpost fourteen years from now for a raktajino, then came straight here. So when I say it’s been a minute… well… actually, it’s been about twenty minutes…”  
“Well, you came just in time,” Carrera said. “I need a professional consultation. I need to know why my engine keeps imploding…”  
“I knew this day was coming,” Wes replied. “So let’s have a look at the engine that Rekki built!”

After nearly twenty minutes reviewing the engine in detail and also reviewing sensor readings of local spacetime and subspace soundings, Wes turned to Carrera and said, “Well, there’s nothing wrong with your engine, or with any of these readings, so there’s no reason not to certify this vessel ready for recursive warp.”  
“Except that the last two times we did it, the engine imploded,” Carrera replied.  
“And we know it’s going to do it again at least six more times from what you told me about Captain Irons,” Wes said.  
“Why do we have to keep going through this?” Carrera asked.  
“We can figure that out next time,” Wes replied. “It’s time.”  
Carrera sighed and called to the bridge. “We are ready to go to recursive warp at warp 9. And we need to do it in exactly two minutes, 28 seconds…”

On the bridge, at the pilot’s station, Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin had set the timer to engage recursive warp drive at the precise time needed. He had gone through this enough times now to trust the situation. But he was not looking forward to his first time through the loop, when Justice Irons had to sternly order him to hit the switch even though they both knew it would lead to their destruction… again…

The chronometer counted down, finally to zero.

The U.S.S. Hunter promptly imploded, destroying the ship, killing all hands and taking a radius of nearly 110 light years of local spacetime, including several star systems, some of them populated, with it backward into oblivion…

15.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Wesley Howard Crusher (Wes, Wesley, Crusherman, Old Man Crusher)  
Human Ethnicity: Scottish American  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: San Fransisco, California, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 15.2  
Age when introduced: 32, 19, 25, 89  
Role: Genius


	70. Episode 15.3 - A Stitch In Spacetime: Wesley Prime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Dr. Carrera goes looking for Wes, only to find a very different Wesley Crusher in his engine room...
> 
> _Wes turned to Dr. Carrera. “I had forgotten how cute I was at that age. He looks just like that statue of me at Star Fleet Academy…"_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The description of Wesley's clothing comes from the last thing he was wearing in his last episode in The Next Generation...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 3: Wesley Prime

15.3  
Wesley Prime

Dr. Napoleon Boles came thundering into the medical office, then into the small surgery, where Tauk, T’Lon, Dr. Jazz Sam Sinder and Dr. Tali Shae were seated at one end of the room, having lunch.

“Hunter,” Boles called, breathlessly, “can you display those scans we were just looking at?”  
A number of wave patterns were promptly displayed on several of the forensic monitors along the long wall.  
“What are you on about, Napoleon?” Tauk asked.   
“I’m pretty sure I know why we keep imploding,” Boles answered. I started to suspect the last time I went through it and I had Hunter take a number of readings…” Boles held up a data card. “I had him transfer the readings to this and kept it on me and it worked! I was able to take data from one loop into the next loop just by putting it on this card and keeping the card on me...”  
“Hunter, discontinue display,” said Dr. Tali Shae.  
The wave patterns disappeared from the monitors.  
“Come with me, Boles,” Tali Shae said, then headed out to the medical office. Her antennae twitched and focused on Dr. Jazz, who was getting up to follow her. “The rest of you stay put.”  
Boles followed her forward.

“Sit down, Sam,” Tauk said. “Enjoy your lunch. This is your first time through. You only get one first time, so pay attention to every taste, every flavor.”  
“I get to have one last meal eight times and it has to be replicated food…” Dr. Jazz groused.  
“Think she’s showing him File 9, Code 8?” T’Lon asked.  
“Yes,” Tauk responded.   
“I haven’t seen it,” T’Lon said.  
“You don’t need to. I didn’t either,” Tauk replied. “You won’t need it either, Sam. It’s just for our command staff and those officers who are so bull headed they might really screw things up if they don’t see it.”  
“So they showed it to Kenny,” T’Lon said. It wasn’t a question.  
“And, surprisingly, Gaia Gamor. Her boss is starting to rub off on her.”  
“You should probably avoid using human aphorisms, sir,” T’Lon said. “I have found they often have additional unintended connotations. Humans have sex on their minds all the time.”  
“I meant that she’s starting to pick up some of his characteristics,” Tauk said.  
“Next time, I’ll try something other than the hasperat,” Dr. Jazz said. “I always thought the replicated version was passable, but now, really paying attention to it, I have to say it almost exactly fails to please the palate. So, did those patterns Napoleon put up look kind of like brain wave patterns to you?”

\- * -

Dr. Sarekson Carrera was looking for Wes in Engineering. What he found instead was a very serious looking young man with neatly combed dark brown hair wearing gray slacks, a dark gray shirt and a vest with a number of rectangular patterns of various shades of gray. His clothing was just a little threadbare. With a shock, Carrera recognized this was also Wesley Crusher – at a younger age. He was startled by a pat on his back and found Wes standing next to him.   
“Dr. Carrera, Wesley Crusher. Wesley, this is our friend and the lead designer of this vessel, Dr. Sarekson Carrera.”  
“Are you… me???” asked the younger Wesley Crusher. “Where did you find those horrible clothes?”  
“The Summer of Love, baby…” The older Wesley did a pirouette. “Actually, these fashions weren’t widely available then. This is disco gear from the early 1970’s. I picked it up in Height Ashbury. You’re going to love it back in those days. The women – well – they totally put Risa to shame…”

Dr. Carrera and his entire department watched the Wesleys as if they were watching a tennis match.

“Wait, you took stuff from the 1970’s? You could have altered the timeline.”  
“Not possible. But you’ll learn that,” Wes responded.  
“Well, from what I sensed, all of those things are in danger,” Wesley said. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the warp core. “Does that thing generate reverse entropy bubbles?”  
“Right on, man. I seriously need your help,” Wes responded. “It gets harder to control the implosion every cycle.”  
“Well, let’s fix this engine, then,” said Wesley.  
“Can’t do that.”  
“Why?”  
“Because there’s nothing wrong with it.”  
“Mind if I have a look for myself?”  
“We already did, man, but knock yourself out. Where do you think I came up with the idea for it in the first place?”  
“Where did you pick up this ‘man’ stuff from?”  
“I told you, baby, Summer of Love… Man are you going to have some wonderful times ahead of you back then…”  
Wesley was more or less ignoring Wes at this point, going through the engine specs with Dr. Moon helping him find the files. He turned toward Wes.  
“This recursive warp thing – zip drive – this was my idea?”  
“Well, ours, yeah”  
Wesley put his head in his hand dramatically. “I’m such an idiot…”  
“And you talk to yourself too much…”  
Wesley gave Wes a dirty look…  
Wes turned to Dr. Carrera. “I had forgotten how cute I was at that age. He looks just like that statue of me at Star Fleet Academy… They should have captured me with that expression…"

15.3


	71. Episode 15.4 - A Stitch In Spacetime: Crusherman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
A new incarnation of Wesley Crusher arrives - somewhat to the chagrin of the other two Wesleys...
> 
> _Dr. Carrera, Wes, and Wesley – along with most of the Hunter’s engineering department – were standing in a group, watching, stupefied, as another Wesley Crusher – looking much like the younger Wesley Crusher, but wearing red spandex tights and form-fitting black rubber boots – was flying slowly around the warp core, investigating it at close range..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
There's just no reason not to have all kinds of fun with Wesley. The way he left the STNG series indicated he had growing and as yet undefined powers. I wanted to explore those...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 4: Crusherman

15.4  
Crusherman

“I have two sons and a daughter.” Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq was at her watch station in interceptor bay 2 on the starboard side of the U.S.S. Hunter. Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth was at the watch station in interceptor bay 1 on the port side. These watch stations were side by side and separated by a translucent wall, which allowed the interceptor pilots to interact while on watch, but also maintained separate atmosphere control, so that the bays operated independently. A similar wall separated these stations from the shuttle bay (which could only accommodate the wagon.) Flight Specialist Winnifried Salazaar and Navigator Eli Strahl were swatting a small rubber ball back and forth, bouncing it off the wagon. Both were telepathic, but Guth didn’t really care. He had gotten used to them long ago.

“Wait,” said Guth. “You were in the Andorian Imperial Guard for four years and you’ve been in Star Fleet for three years. You don’t look old enough for all of that… When did you have time to have children?”  
Thyssi laughed. “You humans are so odd about age. You’re all obsessed with appearing to be younger than you actually are. I’m 23. I joined the AIG when I was 16. My sons are 7 and 5 years old and my daughter is 2.”  
“I guess it seems strange to me – trill mothers typically stay with their children at least until we’re 10. Human mothers even longer,” Guth replied.  
“That would be really weird. We are typically raised by our grandparents and great grandparents, not by our parents. Andorians become full citizens with full rights and responsibilities at age 15. Every andorian must join the AIG at age 16 – although we can defer that for as long as three years for educational purposes. On their 19th birthday an andorian who has deferred service no longer has a choice. And for every year we defer, we have to add an extra year of service. The minimum is three years, so if you wait until you’re 19, you have to serve six years.”

A panicked Eli Strahl suddenly reached out telepathically to both pilots. They turned to see him standing at the transparent wall behind them. Communication was currently enabled among all three bays.  
“Settle down, Eli,” said Guth. “We know. It’s different for everyone. This is my fourth time through the loop…”  
“Eighth for me. First time you bothered asking if I have children,” said Thyssi.  
“There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s an engineering problem,” Guth added. “Just figure out what you want to do with your remaining lives. We know we go through this eight times. I’m not sure if there are any more cycles. It’s different for everyone…”

\- * -

Dr. Carrera, Wes, and Wesley – along with most of the Hunter’s engineering department – were standing in a group, watching, stupefied, as another Wesley Crusher – looking much like the younger Wesley Crusher, but wearing red spandex tights and form-fitting black rubber boots – was flying slowly around the warp core, investigating it at close range.  
“I’m not sure whether to be embarrassed or impressed,” said Wesley. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that buffed out – I must have really hit the gym…”  
“Yeah, the flying trick was pretty cool, too,” said Wes. “Takes a ton of concentration, though and I just don’t have it in me these days. It gets worse than this. We really got into the superhero thing for a while. Thought it would impress the ladies. I even took to wearing a giant blue letter “C” on the chest toward the end. But the whole superhero thing kind of backfired after all that hard work.”  
“Backfired? How?” Wesley asked.  
“Well, you know, we like girls. But the girls tended to leave Crusherman alone and we kept getting hit on by other men…”

“CRUSHERMAN???” Wesley and Carrera asked in unison...

15.4


	72. Episode 15.5 - A Stitch In Spacetime: Old Man Crusher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter's engineering deck has become a three-ring circus - or, more accurately, a FOUR Wesley Crusher circus...
> 
> _Dr. Carrera looked up as Justice Minerva Irons stormed into Engineering, only to be completely flabbergasted by the spectacle of Crusherman and Free Love Wes both flying slowly around the warp core, inspecting it closely while Wesley Crusher prime was pouring over information from an engineering console, standing next to her Director of Engineering - who appeared to be dressed for a field excursion into the early 20th Century…_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This episode gave me a chance to create a totally off the wall, bonkers Star Trek story. Probably as light as Star Trek Hunter can possibly get...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 5: Old Man Crusher

15.5  
Old Man Crusher

Justice Minerva Irons leapt out of the captains chair, then turned to look at it. It shouldn’t still be there. “Kenneth, you have the con until David gets here. DAVID!!! Please report to the bridge. I will be in Engineering.”  
As Irons stormed off the bridge, Flight Operations Director Kenneth Dolphin - currently at the pilot station, turned to his assistant director, Gaia Gamor. “Must be her first time through the loop…” His words slowed as he saw the look of blank panic on Gamor’s face.  
“Did we just implode???”  
“It’s going to be okay, Gaia. Maybe. Everyone experiences this differently. I have standing orders for you,” Dolphin said.  
Gamor looked at him, still panicked.  
“Go to the captain’s office and access File 9, Code 8. You need to be prepared to follow some orders that you won’t want to follow.”  
“What…” Gamor asked.  
“I just gave you an order, Lieutenant,” Dolphin said gently.  
Gamor stood up, appreciating her director’s light touch and calmness in the face of calamity. “Aye, sir.” She turned and walked to the captain’s office a little gingerly - as though she were afraid the deck plates might fall apart if she put her feet down too firmly.

\- * -

Irons had expected to find some form of controlled chaos in Engineering, considering that the Hunter had just, apparently miraculously, recovered from a catastrophic implosion.

She was not expecting a three-ring circus.

Dr. Carrera looked up as Justice Minerva Irons stormed into Engineering, only to be completely flabbergasted by the spectacle of Crusherman and Free Love Wes both flying slowly around the warp core, inspecting it closely while Wesley Crusher prime was pouring over information from an engineering console, standing next to her Director of Engineering - who appeared to be dressed for a field excursion into the early 20th Century…

“So you’re the grand matriarch, Justice Minerva Irons,” came a voice from behind her, startling her nearly out of her skin. An old man dressed in dirty beige robes that were largely indistinguishable from his straggly long gray hair and beard was standing behind her, leaning on a staff.   
Irons whirled to look at him, then back to look at her inappropriately attired Director of Engineering. “Lieutenant, who are all these people? And why are you out of uniform?”  
“It’s Lieutenant Commander…”  
“Lieutenant Commander???!! Who promoted you???”  
“You did, Captain. Please allow me to introduce Wesley Crusher,” Carrera put his hand on the shoulder of Wesley Crusher prime, who was standing next to him, then gestured toward the two somewhat older versions circling the warp core about 10’ off the deck: “Wesley Crusher, Wesley Crusher, and,” Carrera gestured to the old man leaning on his staff behind Irons: “Wesley Crusher.”

For the first time since her worst moments in the andorian courtroom when she could barely stand, Irons felt somewhat faint.

“Get down from there!” she heard Old Man Crusher barking in exasperation toward the two flying Wesleys. “You’re bothering the judge and we all know there is nothing wrong with that engine. Dr. Carrera, Justice Irons - let’s chat… his office…” Old Man Crusher pointed his staff at Dr. Carrera’s office up on deck one.

15.5


	73. Episode 15.6 - A Stitch In Spacetime: Bob

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Wesley's mentor, the Traveler, joins the menagerie of Wesley Crushers in Dr. Carrera's engineering room...
> 
> _Carrera nodded. “In theory our entire universe is composed of information that can be directly manipulated mathematically…”_  
_“Look at Bob,” said Old Man Crusher. “Look at his face, closely. Don’t be distracted by his hands – they’re a subspecies anomaly. Look at his face…”_  
_Carrera’s eyes widened – as if the lights had suddenly come on in his brain…_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I took a beat out of Stargate Atlantis in order to give the Traveler a name...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 6: Bob

15.6  
Bob

Transporter Engineer K’rok felt the implosion and knew something had gone terribly wrong. But he stayed at his duty post. If there was anything he could do to help the situation, he was more likely to be needed at Transporter 2 than anywhere else. Internally, he began reciting poetry to steel his nerves and prepare for whatever action might be required.   
The order came from Dr. Carrera about three minutes after the implosion. “K’rok, this is Carrera, please beam Jarrong out of Engineering and into the brig."  
“Aye sir,” K’rok responded.

“I have become this boat’s jailor,” K’rok grumbled to himself as he engaged the transporter.

A moment later, his commanding officer, Midshipman Tammy Brazil, walked into the transporter room.   
“Are you okay, K’rok?”  
“Aside from just having imploded and becoming the Hunter’s designated jailor, everything is bindaas*,” K’rok replied.  
“When you didn’t call to check on me, I realized this had to be your first time through,” said Midshipman Brazil. “I don’t know how many times we will go through this, but you called me every time and when it was my first time, you really talked me down off the edge. I’m going to need that from you, okay?”  
“I will do that,” K’rok responded.

_ *bindaas - Hindi: fantastic _

\- * -

“Bob?” said Wesley.  
“Bob!!!” said Wes.  
“Bob??” said Crusherman  
“Hi Bob, it’s been forever,” said Old Man Crusher. “You look just like the last time I saw you. Which was now…”  
“Bob???” Carrera asked.  
The alien standing in the middle of Engineering had a face that was almost as famous as Wesley’s. He was known throughout Star Fleet as “The Traveler” and was listed as a “powerful alien with unknown abilities, but including the ability to travel apparently at will through spacetime as well as the ability to alter the performance of high end warp engines with his mind.” He was also registered as a “generally friendly alien, species unknown.”

“Wesley?” the alien said, looking at each of the four Wesley Crushers. He decided to embrace the oldest version. “If this is truly our most recent meeting, I am so sorry. But you know by now how hard it is to keep track of people when you travel. And how difficult it is to remain anywhere for any length of time.”   
The old Wesley Crusher had tears in his eyes. It was clearly affecting Free Love Wes as well. “I’ve missed you, Bob,” said Old Man Crusher.  
“We’ve missed much of each other’s lives,” alien Bob replied, glancing about at the three younger Wesleys, surprise registering on his face to varying degrees. "Apparently..."  
“Bob???” Carrera repeated.  
Wes put his hand on Carrera’s shoulder. “He’s so old he forgot his name long ago. I had to call him something, and ‘Bob’ just kind of… stuck”  
“It has the virtue of being easy to remember,” said alien Bob. “I think my original name was a few dozen words long and I don’t remember a single one of them. It had been so long since I had given my actual name to anyone that when Wes asked for my name, I was completely at a loss. The life of a traveler is a fairly solitary existence. I don’t know how long I bounced around spacetime just hoping that someone mildly interesting would show up.”  
Alien Bob walked up to Carrera, put his hand on Carrera’s shoulder – two very large fingers and a very large thumb. “Rek, this is a magnificent engine. And you trained your staff very well – they have taken remarkably good care of it.”

“If that’s the case,” responded Carrera, slightly put off by the nickname, “why does my engine keep imploding?”

“You have all the clues you need to answer that question,” said alien Bob. “But you set the rules for this process. That’s why what we are going through now will be referred to as the ‘Carrera Paradox.’ You invented it and it is a beautifully designed paradox… Having people experience different cycles at different times has helped the crew remain calm and focused. I don’t think you would have survived this long if you hadn’t built that feature into the way everyone is experiencing your paradox.”  
“Bob’s the big clue,” said Old Man Crusher. “It took forever for me to figure out what he is… You’ve been really studying the higher math theory you downloaded from the great library of the progenitors.”  
Carrera nodded. “In theory our entire universe is composed of information that can be directly manipulated mathematically…”  
“Look at Bob,” said Old Man Crusher. “Look at his face, closely. Don’t be distracted by his hands – they’re a subspecies anomaly. Look at his face…”  
Carrera’s eyes widened – as if the lights had suddenly come on in his brain… “You’re one of the progenitors!”    
“That wasn’t what we called ourselves,” said alien Bob. “I’ve forgotten what we called ourselves. Progenitors is a nice name, though. I think my people would have been pleased if they had known you would eventually call them that.”  
“I didn’t think there were any of you left,” said Carrera.  
“There are billions of us – well, our biological descendants. But they’re all borg.”

“I know what has been causing the implosions,” Carrera said suddenly.  
“Took you long enough, numbskull,” said Old Man Crusher. “The problem is not local spacetime or the engine. The problem is the engineer…”

“But this is only the seventh cycle,” Carrera said.  
“We’ll all be here after the next implosion to help with the final one,” said Free Love Wes. “During the next and final loop, you’re going to have to set everything in motion with Captain Irons so you can successfully end this paradox. I won’t get to see much of you on the next cycle, so I’ll say it now… It really is great to see you again, and all grown up, Rekki. I know you’ll get to spend some time with Bob. I hope I get to spend some time with you too.” The long-haired, bell-bottom jeans wearing version of Wesley Crusher embraced Carrera again.  
The original Wesley Crusher said in exhaustion, “One more loop…”  
Crusherman wrapped a red-spandex clad, musclebound arm around the shoulders of his younger self. “You’re a tough kid, you can handle it…”

15.6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Bob  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Tau Alphan (Progenitor)  
Hometown/Homeworld: Unknown  
Introduced: Episode 15.6  
Age when introduced: Unknown  
Role: Genius


	74. Episode 15.7 - A Stitch In Spacetime: The Nine Lives of Dr. Sarekson Carrera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Dr. Carrera pulls himselves together to solve the Carrera Paradox.
> 
> _“I have been studying the mathematics of the progenitors – the files we downloaded from the great library of the progenitors. Our universe is composed of information, which can be manipulated consciously through higher math. I have been unconsciously altering local spacetime around me, more and more recently..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This episode sets up the idea for The Band - which Dr. Carrera will have to put together to address the threat from the Gamma Gun Galaxy - and to use the Borg to do it...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 7: The Nine Lives of Dr. Sarekson Carrera

15.7  
The Nine Lives of Dr. Sarekson Carrera

Ensign Tolon Reeves was a bit curious why Dr. Sif had summoned him to the medical lounge. Of the seven lounges on board, the medical lounge was the smallest as it only accommodated two forensic specialists. Ensign Tolon had moved into the ensign’s lounge when he was promoted and a few months later Napoleon Boles had taken Tolon’s old sleeping/escape pod in the medical lounge as it was the only room available.  
While he still felt it was appropriate for him to bunk with the other ensigns (Sun, Phillips and Chrissiana Trei), Reeves had missed spending time with Sif. Sif was light hearted, often to the point of being silly (a rare trait among forensic medical examiners) and she had somehow made it into her early 30’s still looking and behaving quite girlishly.   
Boles wasn’t there at the moment. Sif tackled Reeves on his arrival and began kissing him passionately. She more or less dragged him into her pod. Although completely taken aback, Reeves responded in kind. Sif stopped him for a moment. “This must be your first time through.”  
“Through what?” Reeves asked.  
“We got blown up, remember?”  
Reeves’ eyes grew wide. “I thought that was just a nightmare…”  
“Yeah. No. It’s real. And it’s going to happen again and again and again. I’m not the kind of girl to make the first move, Reeves.” Sif trailed her finger down his chest. “So next time, you’re going to have to come here on your own and get things started. Gentle – just like you always are. Sweet talk me a little. I won’t say no. If I’m going to die over and over, I can’t think of a better way to go…”

\- * -

In addition to alien Bob and the four Wesleys, another old man was waiting for Dr. Carrera in Engineering – a tiny, bald, but energetic and fit looking man with dark brown eyes, dark, wrinkled brown skin, wearing a brown three-piece suit and a pair of highly polished Wellingtons.  
Dr. Carrera walked up to this newest visitor: “Dr. Carrera, I presume?”  
The old Dr. Carrera held out his hand to shake hands with his younger self. “Let’s go fix this thing,” he said.  
Dr. Carrera shook his own hand – and they both vanished from Engineering.

“What are you doing out of uniform, Lieutenant?” Justice Minerva Irons asked as she walked into her office to find her Director of Engineering with another old man who looked vaguely familiar.  
“File 9, Code 8. And it’s Lieutenant Commander, Captain. I will need you to promote me on my first trip through the loop.”  
“You definitely deserve the promotion, Sarekson,” Irons responded, “but this boat is only authorized for two commanders and two lieutenant commanders.”  
“That is one reason you need to put me on extended detached assignment and arrange to have Admiral El Fadil transfer me to Star Fleet Temporal Command,” said the old Carrera.  
Irons suddenly looked closely at the old man. Her eyes widened. “Sarekson??”  
“Fleet Admiral Carrera,” the old man corrected. “Director of Star Fleet Temporal Command.” He removed a tiny wallet from under his clothing and displayed his Star Fleet ID and rank insignia.   
“Admiral El Fadil is just now developing the amendments to the Star Fleet Charter to establish the Temporal Command,” Irons said.  
“Which is another reason you need to put me on detached assignment until SFTC is established. You’re going to need me to negotiate with the borg to bring them into the Alpha Quadrant in force to repair the Hulk. I will need the time on detached assignment to develop immunity to their implants and pull together a negotiating team who are similarly immune.”  
“What about my ship? Who is going to take your place?” Irons asked.  
“Your honor… Minerva,” said the younger Carrera, “I can no longer serve on the Hunter. I am the cause of the implosions. You will need to go to warp 9 in recursive mode at the correct time in every cycle or the damage we are doing with each implosion will become permanent. This is my final cycle. The only way for me to correct the problem is to leave. This is going to be a bit much for you to follow, but I need you to follow me closely here…” Carrera said.

“I have been studying the mathematics of the progenitors – the files we downloaded from the great library of the progenitors. Our universe is composed of information, which can be manipulated consciously through higher math. I have been unconsciously altering local spacetime around me, more and more recently, which has been causing the glitches in the performance of the Hunter’s zip drive. All it takes is a stray thought. Until I gain control over this new… ability… it is unsafe for me to be around any warp engine, especially one set up for recursive warp.”

Irons looked at the younger Carrera. “Where will you go? We aren’t close to any habitable worlds…”  
“Spacetime is not a problem for us,” said the older Carrera. “Bob – that is the alien known to Star Fleet as ‘the Traveler’ – will travel with him – that is me – to help us learn how to control this…” The older Carrera made a vague gesture with his hands.  
“This meeting is being recorded, your honor,” said the younger Carrera. “You need to keep the data file with you and give it to me on my first trip through the loop, which will coincide with your eighth cycle through the loop. You will also need to advise me of my new assignment and order me out of uniform and into civilian clothing. And to arm myself. It was my first clue that I need to leave. I need to say farewell to Buttans.”  
“Who is going to run that engine down there, Sarekson? Who else is capable of it?” Irons asked.  
“Dr. Moon. I have been grooming her to take my place. She was on the design team. After me, she knows more about this ship than anyone – even Professor Crumar. Tell her goodbye for me. She may tell you that she has been in love with me for years. If she does, tell her I knew, but there was nothing I could have done about it…”  
The younger Carrera vanished. “I need to meet him in Engineering, but I wanted to pass along a joke first – Wesley’s favorite joke,” the older Carrera said.  
“I could use one about now,” Irons said.   
“Well, and this will make it onto the recording for File 9, Code 8. Here goes: How many Wesley Crushers does it take to stop Rekki Carrera from destroying the Alpha Quadrant?”  
“I don’t know,” Irons said.  
The older Carrera grinned. “We may never know, but four isn’t enough.” He cackled briefly.  
Irons just looked at him.  
“Well,” said Fleet Admiral Carrera, “I hope we meet again. It has been wonderful seeing you again, Minerva. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you. Don’t forget to keep that data card on you so you can hand it to me along with one of these..” Carrera dug out the wallet with his ID and rank insignia, then tucked it back under his shirt. “Oh, one more thing, that illness among the vulcans? It isn’t an illness. It’s the next stage in their evolution…” Carrera stood up, stretched and promptly vanished.

15.7


	75. Episode 15.8 - A Stitch In Spacetime: Out With the Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons selects a new Director of Engineering while the crew of the U.S.S. Hunter adjusts to the departure of several crew members.
> 
> _Boles produced a large mural in a romantic bolian painting style known as “heroic heart painting” that portrayed, three times larger than lifesize, Lt. T’Lok Smith, Flight Specialist Joey Chin, Investigator Lynhart Shran, Lt. Cmdr. Sarekson Carrera (in his expeditionary clothing) as well as Tactical Specialists Jarrong, Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys – not as lifelike portraits – but as recognizable heroic caricatures in a group pose that was at once flattering and humorous._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Graphic art plays a huge role in our lives.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 8: Out With the Old

15.8  
Out With the Old

The loss of Dr. Carrera was nowhere near as disheartening to the crew of the U.S.S. Hunter as the other losses had been, largely because of the amazing future Justice Irons assured everyone was in store for him. Only the executive and senior staff knew what that future would actually entail – and one more person – Investigator Buttans Ngumbo. The loss of the entire tactical squad was softened as well by their reassignment to Ocean and the evident relief this new assignment provided to the Hunter’s youngest crew members.

2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek met with Justice Minerva Irons in the captain’s office.   
“You should not be surprised that Sarekson recommended you not only very highly, but exclusively to serve as our next Director of Engineering,” said Irons. She placed a small box in front of Dr. Moon. Opened it. It contained a single solid rank pip. “My only question is, what, aside from a promotion to lieutenant, do you need to do the job?”   
Moon reached up and removed the hollow pip from her collar. Replaced it with the solid pip. She put the hollow pip in the small box and picked the box up. “I need to give this to Ensign Sun – make that 2nd Lieutenant Sun. He is the assistant director I need…”  
“I am glad to hear you say that, Lieutenant,” said Irons. “And not surprised. Hui has done well and his dissertation has been receiving praise at the Daystrom Institute, along with his more recent publications.”  
“What I am missing is a serious mathematician,” said Moon. “I have a great candidate who joined Star Fleet almost a year ago and is currently serving on Earth. If I send Sun and Guth in the tactical unit, they could have him at Star Base Eleven in time for you to interview him before our shore leave there is up.”  
Irons smiled. “Talk to Kenneth about assigning Guth. He may have other ideas. But you’re approved to send Dr. Sun. Must be a great candidate if you’re in such a hurry to get him to SB11.”  
“I have an additional reason for wanting to move quickly,” Moon said.

\- * -

Irons ordered the U.S.S. Hunter to be landed on Ocean. As they had been more than a year previously, the wagon and the two interceptors were landed separately. But the tactical unit was away on mission.  
With the loss of T’Lok Smith and Sarekson Carrera, the only expert surfer remaining on the crew was T’Lon. In the morning of their first day on Ocean, Kenny Dolphin and Buttans Ngumbo went out to surf with T’Lon. And by midmorning, T’Lon was on the waves by herself.  
Much as they had been less than a month previously on the beach at Numinor, Dolphin and Buttans, after a few hours surfing, were reclining on beach towels, sheltering under a large beach umbrella.

“Everything has changed so much. And so fast,” Dolphin said.  
“Lynhart was my business partner for five years,” Buttans said. “The Investigation Agency of Buttans and Shran… In some ways I was closer to him than I’ve ever been to anyone else. I knew his heart was weak and that he might go at any time. But he just ticked on and on and on and he never let it slow him down. He just seemed so… unstoppable. Immortal. Invincible. You know in more than 30 years on the battlefield for the Andorian Imperial Guard – and 6 years on the New York City Police Department – another 9 years in private practice – he was never once wounded? Not even a scratch. It seemed like he could walk through fire. Seeing him dead was just… It still doesn’t feel real to me.”  
“I thought you would be more… that you would miss Sarekson more.”  
“We weren’t soul mates, Kenny,” said Buttans. “In a way, I think he deliberately kept some distance from me. And from everyone else. I think he had some instinct that he wouldn’t be staying with us. I’m not sad about him leaving – at least not for myself. I feel a little sorry for him, though – he’s off on some magnificent adventure. But I doubt he’ll ever find anyone to share it with him.”  
“What about our tactical squad?” Dolphin asked.  
Buttans Ngumbo looked back. Further up the beach, Jarrong and her cousins were being more or less mobbed by the Hunter’s crew members. Dolphin and Buttans both grinned a little as Jarrong suffered awkwardly through one hug after another. Her cousins seemed more comfortable with all the attention and the bulk of it was focused on Belo Cantys even though her pregnancy was not yet showing.  
“With everything those kids have been through in their lives,” said Buttans, “well, having them here and as safe as they can be anywhere in this universe… If anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s those kids. They’ve served their time in hell…”

\- * -

It was Justice Minerva Irons’ oldest daughter, Ocean’s Planetary Administrator Tamar Irons, who realized the crew of the U.S.S. Hunter needed some sort of commemoration and closure to help them accept the loss of so many crew members. She had recruited Dr. Napoleon Boles for this project even before the Hunter had arrived in orbit. In only two days, working in a large workroom in the resort lodge and assisted by several members of the Irons family, Boles produced a large mural in a romantic bolian painting style known as “heroic heart painting” that portrayed, three times larger than lifesize, Lt. T’Lok Smith, Flight Specialist Joey Chin, Investigator Lynhart Shran, Lt. Cmdr. Sarekson Carrera (in his expeditionary clothing) as well as Tactical Specialists Jarrong, Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys – not as lifelike portraits – but as recognizable heroic caricatures in a group pose that was at once flattering and humorous.  
A set of holo-emitters was erected near this mural so that Lt. Tauk (projected from a pressurized section of the resort lodge where he was staying), Dr. Kim, Dr. Raj and the ship’s interactive holographic avatar, Hunter, could pose next to this mural along with the remainder of the Hunter’s crew, including their departing tactical squad members, for a group photogram. Holographic images of Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth and 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui (currently on away on assignment) were also projected to complete the ensemble.  
It was only several hours later as the sun was setting and dinner was being served on the beach that various crew members began to notice that in the large amount of space above the characters in the mural, in extremely subtle hues, an even larger likeness of Justice Irons’ face was watching over the departed crew members. At nightfall, the mural was beamed up to Star Base Eleven and mounted in one of the crew lounges near the large docking bays.

15.8


	76. Episode 15.9 - A Stitch In Spacetime: In With the New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Ensign Tolon meets his new tactical squad...
> 
> _“No, actually we are all 100% betazoid, not hybrids,” said Veri Geki, answering his unspoken question. “Rume was looking for a very specific set of physical, telepathic and emotional characteristics. I know you are aware betazoids are culturally opposed to violence, but there are those among us who recognize that it is occasionally unavoidable. I was seven when the Dominion conquered Betazed. I do not have fond memories of the jem’hadar...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I have been looking forward to bringing these characters in.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch In Spacetime  
Scene 9: In With the New

15.9  
In With the New

Ensign Tolon Reeves was in holosuite 2 on Star Base Eleven, evaluating the new tactical squad that had been assigned to the U.S.S. Hunter. Tactical Specialists Dasare Eba, Veri Geki and Ranni Neivi, under the supervision of Chief Tactical Specialist Rume Grace were in combat with a squad of simulated klingons. Two things became immediately apparent about the four tall young women as they fought silently: all four had clearly earned their E7 black belt rating in one of the most relentlessly violent of human martial arts forms – Krav Maga – which had been adopted by Star Fleet as the preferred martial arts training for combat units. Chief Grace was one of very few experts certified by Star Fleet Personnel as E9, the highest rating achievable.    
Prior to First Contact, the highest level had been E5. Additional levels had been added to recognize the need for expert training in countering non-terrestrial physiologies, weapons, cultures and martial arts forms. Krav Maga focused on close fighting and grappling instead of flashy long-range kicks featured in other forms. The primary focus of Krav Maga was first and foremost, effective use of issued weaponry and, for unarmed combat, disarming armed opponents and using their captured weapons against them.  
The Grace team also coordinated their fighting style without spoken word or gestures and focused on group tactics that created crossfire situations, causing their opponents to fight at added risk of injuring one another.   
This exercise, pitting the four members of the Grace team against 20 holographic klingons, lasted just under five minutes and ended with two members of the Grace team having sustained heavy bruises and another one with a large, jagged cut that required use of a dermal regenerator to heal. Eighteen of the simulated klingons had been rendered unconscious. Two others registered as killed.

Chief Grace approached Ensign Tolon. “Actually, our klingon allies are honored that we generally prefer to train against klingons,” she said in answer to his unspoken concern. “They are the most difficult adversaries to take prisoner, which is our training goal – not to kill, but to capture alive. Capturing a klingon alive in heated combat is extremely difficult. Klingons do not lose consciousness easily and they do not surrender on the point of death unless honor or standing orders require them to. There are opponents that are harder to kill, but none that are harder to take alive.”  
The other three team members joined Tolon, and he found himself straining his neck a little as they were all nearly a foot taller than he was.  
“No, actually we are all 100% betazoid, not hybrids,” said Veri Geki, answering his unspoken question. “Rume was looking for a very specific set of physical, telepathic and emotional characteristics. I know you are aware betazoids are culturally opposed to violence, but there are those among us who recognize that it is occasionally unavoidable. I was seven when the Dominion conquered Betazed. I do not have fond memories of the jem’hadar.”  
“We were all part of the resistance,” Dasare Eba added. “And we all lost friends and family members. My parents were committed to non-violence and non-resistance. It did not stop the jem’hadar from killing them in a training exercise.”  
“I suppose it will be impossible for me to get a word in edgewise around you – at least a spoken word…” Tolon said, provoking some light laughter among his new charges. He looked around the group again. “It appears that you were also selecting for height – you are all nearly the same height and build. It also appears you were looking for exceptionally attractive women.”  
“You find us distracting and because of this you are intimidated by us,” Rume Grace said. “You have been doing a far better than average job of controlling your sexual attraction to us. It helps that you have a really cute girlfriend…” Tolon blushed slightly at that comment.  
“In spite of that, I think you can see what a tremendous advantage that gives my team before the first weapon is drawn,” Chief Grace continued. “It works on a large variety of species. I selected team members close to my size, shape, and facial features to make us harder for potential enemies to distinguish us from one another. Which makes it harder for them to target us effectively, throwing off their coordination. They have a harder time remembering which, if any of us is wounded.”  
“I suppose that accounts for the identical hairstyles?” Tolon asked. All four women had short, blonde hair a few shades lighter than their skin tone.  
“We selected this color combination after significant psychological testing,” said Ranni Neivi. “Humans tend to underestimate the intelligence and capabilities of women with blonde hair – that seems to test broadly across a majority of human cultures. Denobulans relax and let their guard down in the presence of people with skin tones darker than their hair and at the same time Romulans seem uniquely intimidated by that combination of features. We selected a skin tone and hairstyle preferred by changlings, which triggers a fear/obedience response among the jem’hadar. Klingons are about the only species for which we could not find any color coding or appearance characteristics that would give us an advantage.”   
“It seems counterintuitive, but klingons have so long been culturally committed to the meritocracy of combat, they are probably the most egalitarian culture we have encountered,” Dasare Eba mused.  
“So you dye your hair to get the same color?” Tolon asked.  
“We made the skin tone and hair color permanent using genetic editing,” Neivi replied.  
“We also had surgery to alter our facial features. To make us similar, but not identical. If we were identical, that would hamper command and control by a superior officer,” Grace concluded, tapping Ensign Tolon lightly on the chest.  
“I am surprised that you chose to enlist instead of commissioning,” said Tolon.  
“This is a demonstration project,” Chief Grace replied. “In order to demonstrate it, we need to be on the front lines. And recently, JAG is the command where tactical squads are used most often and receive the most dangerous assignments.”  
Tolon looked carefully at the faces of these intense, tall, telepathically endowed young women. They came to attention and fell silent and it took a moment for him to register that this was what he wanted them to do – not for disciplinary or demonstration reasons, but simply to give him a moment to think and mull over what he had just seen and heard.

“Tell me,” he said, after thinking for a few moments. He spoke quietly, measuring out his words, addressing Chief Rume Grace, giving her an evaluating look, “What is it that is motivating you to do this? You have really gone to extraordinary length to develop this project and push it through Star Fleet. Why?”  
“You know that Betazed lost its only colony in the Third Borg Incursion,” Grace responded. “Millions of us were lost when the Fesh colony was targeted by the borg. You can imagine what a disaster it would be if the borg could acquire millions of powerful telepaths. Fesh had a population close to 32 million. Only a few were taken alive. Over 31 million of my people committed suicide rather than be assimilated by the borg.”  
“Just a year later, the jem’hadar captured Betazed and enslaved all of us. Nearly a billion of my people died in that war – on our own home planet. Half of them were killed for sport and show trials. And still very few of us fought…” Grace stopped herself.

Tolon could feel her mingled grief and anger welling up inside him as if it were his own, native emotion.

“I’m sorry, sir” Grace said. “When we get really emotional, we tend to project a little…” She took a long breath. “The borg beat us because they’re bigger than Star Fleet. The jem’hadar beat us because they’re far better at small unit operations than Star Fleet. And a billion of my people died on the front lines of those wars without putting up a fight. Because they were committed to non-violence and non-resistance…”   
Tolon could feel the anguish and bitterness in Grace’s voice. 

“Because they were counting on Star Fleet to do their fighting for them,” Grace continued. “I want to change that. I want my people to have a fighting chance.”

15.9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Chief Tactical Specialist Rume Grace (Rume)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Betazoid  
Hometown/Homeworld: Lake Catoria, Betazed  
Introduced: Episode 15.9  
Age when introduced: 23  
Role: Tactical Squad Trainer, U.S.S. Hunter
> 
> Character: Tactical Specialist Veri Geki (Veri)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Betazoid  
Hometown/Homeworld: Iscandar, Betazed  
Introduced: Episode 15.9  
Age when introduced: 19  
Role: Tactical Squad, U.S.S. Hunter
> 
> Character: Tactical Specialist Dasarae Eba (Dasarae)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Betazoid  
Hometown/Homeworld: Garah, Betazed  
Introduced: Episode 15.9  
Age when introduced: 25  
Role: Tactical Squad, U.S.S. Hunter
> 
> Character: Tactical Specialist Ranni Nievi (Ranni)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Betazoid  
Hometown/Homeworld: Thetzed, Betazed  
Introduced: Episode 15.9  
Age when introduced: 17  
Role: Tactical Squad, U.S.S. Hunter


	77. Episode 15.10 - A Stitch In Spacetime: The Sun, The Moon and All the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Lt. Commander Mlady, Hunter's 2nd officer, interviews Dr. Moon's recruit for the Ensign position in the Engineering Department.
> 
> _“I will ask the obvious question,” said Mlady. “Why did you decide to join Star Fleet at your age?”_
> 
> _“I appreciate your directness, Lieutenant Commander. It spares us at least an hour of beating about that particular bush,” responded Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars. “My cat died...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is the final scene for Episode 15. Episode 16 - Slavers - will focus on the Orions and their slaving operation...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 15: A Stitch in Spacetime  
Scene 10: The Sun, the Moon and All the Stars

15.10  
The Sun, the Moon and All the Stars

As the U.S.S. Hunter’s Chief Operations Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Mlady had direct supervision of the Ground Operations, Flight Operations and Engineering departments. She met with the candidate for the ensign position in the Hunter’s Engineering department as soon as he arrived from Earth. As final preparations were underway to ready the Hunter for departure, they met in a small conference room on Star Base Eleven – the same room where, a little more than a year ago, Rear Admiral Samantha Burton had met with then Governor Emory Ivonovic.  
The new recruit was dressed in the standard red uniform. He was part Rigellian Chelna, the only evidence of which was the unusual golden color of the iris of his eyes and a slightly protruding jaw, which, combined with a thick mane of blonde-gray hair and beard, gave him a bit of a leonine look. Combined with his age and unusual height – nearly 6’6” – this gave Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars a stately appearance that was further enhanced by his cultured British accent, piercing gaze and rapid-fire responses to questions.

“I will ask the obvious question,” said Mlady. “Why did you decide to join Star Fleet at your age?”  
  
“My cat died.”

“Your… cat.”

“Mittens. I was just batty about her, but she lived a good long life – 28 years. She was a very good kitty.”  
“You do realize that to qualify as an Ensign or higher officer rank on the U.S.S. Hunter, that you must be licensed by the Federation Tribunal to practice federation law?” Mlady asked.  
“Well, it seems I am in luck. I received my license just last week,” Alstars replied.  
“Again, I have to ask, why?”  
“I have filed an age discrimination complaint against Star Fleet. I joined because I wanted to see the stars – not sit around a recruiting station in Oxford talking to students. I was a math professor for 50 years. I’ve already talked to all the snot-nosed Oxford students I ever wanted to. But just because I’m 78 years old, Star Fleet refuses to transfer me from Star Fleet Personnel to Space Command. I meet and exceed all of the physical and psychological requirements based on my age and species. I want off that crowded planet and they couldn’t even take me out of Oxford.”  
“I am not offering to transfer you to Star Fleet Space Command, Ensign. Would you settle for the Office of Judge Advocate General?” Mlady asked.  
“If it will get me out of Oxford,” Alstars replied.  
“You will have to drop your lawsuit…”  
“Well, being assigned to serve on an actual space vessel that is actually serving in actual non-terrestrial space would rather cut the legs out from under my legal argument..." Alstars straightened in his chair: "Wouldn’t it?”  
Mlady stood up. Even standing, she was not as tall as the elderly ensign seated across the table from her. “One thing I should warn you about serving on the U.S.S. Hunter, Ensign: It is not a deep space exploration vessel. Hunter is a patrol craft and most of it is rather cramped. Not optimal for tall people. The only areas where you would be able to stand up straight would be your sleeping/escape pod, medical, deck 8, the running track on deck 5 and main engineering deck – which is where you would spend most of your time.”  
Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars thought about it for a few minutes, then stood up and stretched. Despite his age, evident in the wrinkles on his face, he was lean and straight. “I think I can manage that,” he said, “Thank you, Lieutenant Commander.”  
“Welcome to the crew of the U.S.S. Hunter, Dr. Alstars,” Mlady said. “You will need to exchange that red uniform for the black one – gold piping for operations.”

15 – A Stitch in Spacetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars (Geoff, Sir Geoffrey, Lord Wooton-Sandleigh)  
Human Ethnicity: British  
Additional Species: Rigellian Chelna  
Hometown/Homeworld: Oxford, England, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 15.10  
Age when introduced: 78  
Role: Flight Engineering Group Leader, U.S.S. Hunte


	78. Episode 16.1 - Slavers: Flying by the Seat of Their Pants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Pivin the betrayer (a Romulan who spies for the Federation) and Oarama Irons (one of her handlers) make a desperate escape from orion slavers.
> 
> _Pivin and Oarama could only adjust their flight through open space with small bursts of gas from the sides of their flight suits. All around them on every side the plasma storm raged in vibrant reds, yellows and greens – energized and electrified by the orion interceptor it had swallowed and was digesting in brilliant cascades of intense blue lightning. For a moment it was easy for them to forget this was a desperate escape and simply admire the raw, energetic beauty of the Badlands..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Hopefully this will be a very visual episode.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 1: Slavers  
Scene 1: Flying By the Seat of their Pants

16.1  
Flying By the Seat of their Pants

Probably the most sophisticated and elegant of all Maquis inventions was the atmosphere specific flight suit. It had been invented to provide the Maquis rebels a nearly untraceable method for inserting a large strike force onto a planet from space. The garment’s outer layer was a temporary EVA suit, which could provide up to ten hours protection in open space, but was designed to gradually ablate on entry into a planetary atmosphere. The heat of ablation provided power to a micro inertial dampener, designed to slow the descent of the wearer without registering on a sensor as anything more energetic than an average meteor.  
By the time the wearer entered the middle atmosphere, the outer suit was designed to fall away and ablate entirely, while the micro-dampener, before being destroyed with the suit, was designed to slow the wearer sufficiently for deployment of a triangular fixed wing, controlled by hands and feet, allowing a very long glide capability so that the wearer – now a pilot – could glide for hundreds of kilometers to seek their preferred landing zone. A set of levers allowed the pilot to gradually open a number of billows built into the fabric of this wing, providing controlled drag to enable a horizontal landing on skids that were deployed beneath the pilot. The entire wing structure was designed to be disassembled on landing for reuse either in its original capacity or for other purposes.

While these suits had been designed and a few hundred had been manufactured for a space-to-ground assault, the Maquis never used them for this purpose and the prototypes were eventually sold as escape modules. Pomm Irons had long ago purchased three of these and stored them on the B.R. Prophet Motive in hopes they would never be needed.

Neither Pivin nor Oarama Irons had ever donned these suits before and there was no training program. Just a tag with alarmingly optimistic pictograms. These flight suits, crafted by Maquis rebels in hastily prepared workshops on outlawed colonies, had a distinctly homemade appearance to them. The two women struggled into them, having to experiment with the inner and outer portions to get them to fit correctly while the runabout’s pilot, a massively obese bajoran male, made one wild turn after another, trying to evade phaser fire from a small cloud of orion interceptors and at the same time avoid the massive walls and columns of energized plasma that characterized the Badlands.

In desperation, Pomm Irons launched first the elderly romulan woman, then his (primarily) cardassian wife into space from the Prophet Motive’s torpedo launcher, before angling the large runabout to avoid another plasma burst. Phaser fire from pursuing orion interceptors sparked off the yellow runabout’s shields and intersected with the surrounding plasma storm, adding bright laces of energy to the energetic fields of ignited stellar gasses that made the Badlands so dangerous for navigation – and a favorite hiding place not only for the Maquis rebels, but for outlaws and refugees of every description. And, now that the Maquis rebel forces had been devastated in the War with the Dominion, no one was left to protect the tens of thousands of refugees who sheltered behind the plasma storms. The Badlands had become a rich hunting ground for green-skinned orion slavers.

As their ship and only home swerved away from them in a futile attempt to escape a dozen orion interceptors, Pivin and Oarama, with only their flimsy, homemade EVA suits between them and the cold of space, had to adjust their flight pattern to pass through eddies in the plasma bursts that were far too small for a ship, but easily large enough for an EVA suit to pass through.  
One of the orion interceptors that had been hot on Pomm’s tail diverted course to follow the two women. The hole in the plasma burst was just large enough to thread an interceptor through. But the pilot failed to take magnetic interference into account and the plasma interacted with the interceptor’s shielding, trapping the small vessel and pulling it up into the plasma storm, where it exploded, feeding its energy into the plasma cloud.   
Pivin and Oarama could only adjust their flight through open space with small bursts of gas from the sides of their flight suits. All around them on every side the plasma storm raged in vibrant reds, yellows and greens – energized and electrified by the orion interceptor it had swallowed and was digesting in brilliant cascades of intense blue lightning. For a moment it was easy for them to forget this was a desperate escape and simply admire the raw, energetic beauty of the Badlands.   
But a rogue planet was hidden in the middle of all this blazing stellar material – so enveloped in the raging plasma storm that it was nearly impossible to approach by ship. Even a runabout would have great difficulty navigating the storm raging around Vengeons-Roux (as the Maquis had named the planet).

Rogue planets were almost invariably frozen, dead planets, but not Vengeons-Roux. The planet’s strong magnetosphere protected the atmosphere from the blazing waves of stellar material. The biosphere had survived by adapting to the energy of the raging plasma storm around the planet and small animals hunted by the ever shifting light that at one moment might be close to daylight and in the next moment twilight. Pomm and Oarama had scouted this planet years ago as a possible emergency hideout and had left a stash of supplies and food. They had also sewn a number of hardy and very useful plants to grow wild near these supplies.

Following Pomm’s scant and hurried instructions, Pivin and Oarama kept at least 500 meters between them as they entered the atmosphere of Vengeons-Roux. They turned their bellies to the atmosphere and watched – their face-masks instantly turning dark to protect their eyes and faces from the intense heat and radiation of their suits ablating into the planet’s atmosphere. They could feel the drag of micro inertial dampeners embedded in their flight suits, slowing their descent and cooling them as the remnants of the outer suits broke free and fell below them in trails of flaming debris.  
As they deployed their fixed wings above them, the skids that were all that was left of the front of their EVA suits also deployed, providing a counter-balance to their triangular fixed wings, helping to keep them oriented for face-down horizontal flight and a horizontal landing. The inertial dampeners gave them a final lift, then dropped away to be smashed to dust on the ground far below. The flapping of the fabric wings grew louder and gradually provided increased lift as they glided into increasingly dense atmosphere.   
After a few hours of synchronized flight, Oarama changed her wing angle and sped ahead of Pivin, then swooped around, slowing again. Pivin followed and the two gradually circled their target landing zone for nearly ten minutes, gradually losing speed and altitude until first Oarama, then Pivin landed on their skids, skidding across nearly 300 meters before grinding to a halt in the large meadow Pomm and Oarama had long ago selected. Oarama was grateful that it still was a meadow.

A number of large quadrupeds crept out from the tree line toward the two women as they hurriedly freed themselves from their flight harnesses. The creatures had large heads with large mouths. They walked and stalked somewhat like wolves, spreading out to encircle the two women. The moment Pivin and Oarama stepped free of their flight gear and stood up straight, the animals quickly turned and ran back into the trees.  
“They fear bipeds,” Pivin observed.  
“We’re not alone,” Oarama concluded.

16.1


	79. Episode 16 - Slavers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Introducing quote for Episode 16  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
These intro quotes provide some of the background for the story.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers

Episode 16 – Slavers

_ “In the early days of human colonization of the Alpha Quadrant, the Vulcan Space Command prevented human access to habitable planets that had indigenous sentient pre-warp populations. At the same time, they began to open vulcan colonies to a burgeoning spacebound human population. Earth’s population had stabilized at about 12 billion.   
__ “Behind the scenes, a number of economic actors, including the vulcans and the denobulans, worked to create incentives for massive human population growth. With an increasing life expectancy, longer fertility periods and being perpetually in heat, humanity had a unique potential for explosive population growth among the species that eventually united to form the Federation. Humans, denobulans and vulcans alike saw the potential for filling up available environments with human populations as a bulwark against potential aggressors – the klingons, the romulans and others.  
__ “Their long term plan was to stabilize this population once the boundaries of the Federation were established and potential environments secured. But the genie was not so easily put back into the bottle. Into this runaway population growth came an unanticipated secondary population explosion of hybrids as human genetics leant the gift of human fecundity to other federation species…” _

_Pomm Irons – _ _The Human Time Bomb_ _._

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)  
  
At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady  
.

  
Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim  
.  
Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth  
Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar  
.  
Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Investigator - vacant  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace  
Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba  
Tactical Specialist Veri Geki  
Tactical Specialist Ranni Neivi  
.  
Director of Engineering - Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars, Lord Wootton-Sandleigh, Order of Merit  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	80. Episode 16.2 - Slavers: Possum-Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Captain Serge Mykel Chekov (grandson of the famous Captain Pavel Chekov) has taken the helm of Star Fleet's newest, biggest vessel, the U.S.S. Milky Way. Much larger than the Enterprise D, the Milky Way is a new class of deep space exploration ship.
> 
> _“The name ‘Possum-Chicken’ comes from a game we played with a pair of klingon birds of prey. It was the aftermath of the Battle for Detapa Council, which ended badly for both us and the klingons. In a vast debris field – the remnants of Star Fleet and Imperial Klingon hulls, two birds of prey were playing dead. With two active birds of prey on the field we couldn’t rescue our stranded crew members from the other destroyed ships. So we played dead too – and our three ships were drifting closer. And closer…”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Having introduced Captain Serge Chekov in Episode 12, I had to bring him into focus...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 2: Possum-Chicken

16.2  
Possum-Chicken

The U.S.S. Milky Way was slightly larger than the old Galaxy class star ships, but had a lower, sleeker profile with the secondary engineering hull located behind the saucer section instead of beneath it and the engine nacelles located out to the sides of the secondary hull instead of above or below. Like the Galaxy class, the Milky Way could be operated with a skeleton crew of 100 and generally required 700 for normal operations. The actual crew complement was 1,231 with an additional 400 Star Fleet cadets, and two basic training units designed to produce a total of 60 enlistees every eight weeks. An additional 2,000 civilians performed functions from weapons and replacement parts manufacture to food production to education and family services. Even with 4,000 people onboard, large sections of the ship were vacant and could be re-purposed for a wide number of uses. The Milky Way was designed to manufacture whatever spare parts or enhancements it required while on missions far from home.

Captain Sullivan Cruz, newly promoted and newly assigned to command the U.S.S. Intrepid, on which she had served for the past three years as first officer, was admiring the Milky Way from the bridge of the Intrepid. “Old Possum-Chicken got a pretty serious upgrade,” she said.  
“Why do you call him ‘Possum-Chicken’?” asked her newly assigned pilot, Lt. Shaq Carter.  
“Some of the brass at Star Fleet started calling him ‘Possum’ – as an insult – because that’s his favorite game,” Cruz replied. “He used it at Wolf 359 when it became evident we were hopelessly outmatched. Every other starship captain fought until the borg destroyed them. Serge played dead until the borg moved on, then rescued more than a hundred crew members from the broken remains of their ships… Rescued me – I was an ensign fresh out of the academy. Most of my shipmates didn’t survive. Captain Chekov played possum with the klingons and later the jem’hadar during the Dominion War. He’s very good at avoiding a fight. But I watched him use that same tactic to lure a Vor Cha class cruiser into a mine field. He destroyed a top of the line klingon battle cruiser without firing a single shot.”  
Captain Cruz was in full storytelling mode – half of the officers on her bridge were new and had not heard this story before – and it was a good one. “The name ‘Possum-Chicken’ comes from a game we played with a pair of klingon birds of prey. It was the aftermath of the Battle for Detapa Council, which ended badly for both us and the klingons. In a vast debris field – the remnants of Star Fleet and Imperial Klingon hulls, two birds of prey were playing dead. With two active birds of prey on the field we couldn’t rescue our stranded crew members from the other destroyed ships. So we played dead too – and our three ships were drifting closer. And closer…” Cruz illustrated her story with her hands, demonstrating the relative positions of the ships. “And closer… Those klingons had nerves of steel. So did Serge… At the last minute he ordered our thrusters to full downward thrust and pushed us straight down out of their line of fire just as they opened up with their disrupters and they ended up shooting each other. We burned them both out of our sky without losing a single crew member. Serge won that fight by playing Possum and Chicken at the same time.”  
“Other Star Fleet captains have more kills. But old Possum-Chicken has rescued more stranded crew members and brought more people home alive than all of them put together. Other Star Fleet captains get medals for valor. Captain Chekov gets to take out the first new ship in every class because he brings his crews home alive and his ships home in one piece,” Cruz concluded. “Not an easy man to get along with, but in my opinion there’s not a better captain in the fleet.”

“He’s hailing us, sir,” came the voice of Ensign Fyndis Gaddid, a young bolian woman standing at the new tactical operations station that had been squeezed next to the tactical station in a recent re-design of the Intrepid’s bridge.  
Captain Cruz made a “come hither” gesture with her right hand and the ensign put the signal through.   
Captain Chekov appeared on the screen – a balding man in his 60’s with a hard round belly, an unflattering comb-over, a pock-marked face and heavy lidded eyes. He leaned forward in an enormous captain’s chair. Although she could not see it on the viewer, Cruz knew that chair was located near the back of the largest bridge on any Star Fleet vessel, a bridge that included a bull-pen of eight tactical stations.  
“Intrepid, this is U.S.S. Milky Way, Serge Mykel Chekov commanding.”  
“Milky Way, this is the U.S.S. Intrepid, Sullivan Parker Cruz commanding. Go ahead, Milky Way…”  
“Are you ready for our little game of wounded bird, Sully?” Chekov had only a hint of his grandfather’s famously thick Russian accent.  
“Aye, sir,” Cruz replied.  
“That is your bridge, Captain and your collar is identical to mine. It’s not “sir” to you any longer. It’s ‘Ser-GEY’, yes?”  
“Old habits are hard to break, Captain… Serge,” Cruz corrected.  
“And best broken over vodka,” Chekov replied. “Of which I have a considerable supply waiting for you and your crew at the successful conclusion of this mission. Our green-skinned neighbors have grown far too aggressive along our negotiated border and Admiral th’Zoarhi wants a demonstration of our resolve to protect the indigenous peoples of the region. I’m afraid I intend to leave you hanging out there for a very uncomfortable amount of time. I will be putting you and your crew at great risk and you should anticipate both damage and casualties. I want you to fight hard and make a good show of trying to run, but do not escape. It is the only way to draw out their larger assets.”  
“I am not wild about being hung out as bait,” said Cruz.  
“I was used as bait on my first mission with my first command,” Chekov responded. “And I was just about your age at the time. Although I was somewhat prettier than you... Remember, just because you can’t escape and you have to fight doesn’t mean you can’t fight smart. Fight the way I taught you and you have a reasonable chance of bringing most of your crew – and most of your ship home. Horoshaya ohota, Kapitan!”  
Cruz rolled her eyes: “Da, nye zabood’ spasti moyoo zadnistsoo, Serge Mykel!”  
Chekov broke into an uncharacteristic laugh. “Your Russian is atrocious, Sullivan Parker. But I fully intend to save your ass anyway. We will see you at the border. Milky Way out!”

On the bridge of the U.S.S. Milky Way, Captain Sullivan Cruz’s image had only taken up an eighth panel of the enormous main viewer. As her image was replaced by a view of the U.S.S. Intrepid jumping to warp, Captain Chekov walked forward from the captain’s chair to the tactical bullpen, located forward right and sunk into the floor so deep that most of the bullpen could not be observed from his perch at the back of the bridge. A group of eight officers sat in a ring facing outward at an unbroken, 360 degree viewer that wrapped around and under them. The spherical view was completed by a dome viewer in the ceiling of the bridge high above. Their seats and consoles were transparent and mounted on gyroscopic gimbals, allowing these officers to rotate a full 360 degrees.   
A command chair was located in the center of this group – also transparent and mounted on gimbals so that the Milky Way’s tactical officer could coordinate the actions of the enormous ship’s multiple weapon systems as well as an accompanying squadron of long range interceptors. This seat was elevated to provide the tactical officer an eye-line to the ship’s captain as well as oversight of the stations inside the bull-pen.

“I know you are accustomed to leading from in front, Captain,” said Chekov to his recently promoted tactical officer. “Now you must lead from behind. Are you prepared for that? Can you still fight when you’re not out there with a phaser cannon between your thighs? Can you lead people into battle when you’re looking at their backsides?”  
Captain Red swiveled her chair to look up at Chekov as if he were her target. “I am and I can. I would never have let you put me in this chair otherwise.”  
“Don’t get comfortable in it.”  
“Never.”

Chekov walked to the forward center of the bridge to stand between the tactical bullpen and a quartet of stations to the left arranged in a wing pattern – helm and telemetry forward and center, flanked by navigation and science stations respectively that were slightly swept back. Captain Chekov took up a wide stance, feet firmly planted, arms akimbo. “Lieutenant Combs, make your course for the orion border at warp factor 5.”   
“Course laid in at warp factor 5, Captain,” the helmsman responded.   
Chekov kept his eyes forward. “Captain Red, are your birds ready to leave the coup?”  
“Aye Captain, all interceptors reporting course laid in, warp factor 5. My birds are ready, Captain,” Red responded.

  
“Then let’s get the flock out of here. All units – Engage!”  
  


* _Horoshaya ohota, Kapitan_!(Good Hunting, Captain)

* _Da, nye zabood’ spasti moyoo zadnistsoo, Serge Mykel_!(Yeah, don’t forget to save my ass, Serge Mykel!)

16.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Captain Sullivan Parker Cruz (Sully)  
Human Ethnicity: Mexican  
Additional Species: Orion  
Hometown/Homeworld: Eden, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 16.2  
Age when introduced: 39  
Role: Captain, U.S.S. Intrepid
> 
> Character: Lieutenant Shaquile Carter (Shaq)  
Human Ethnicity: African American  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: San Antonio, Texas, Earth  
Introduced: Episode 16.2  
Age when introduced: 23  
Role: Flight Team Leader, U.S.S. Intrepid
> 
> Character: Ensign Fyndis Gaddid  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Bolian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Trantor, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 16.2  
Age when introduced: 19  
Role: Communication Team Coordinator, U.S.S. Intrepid
> 
> Character: Captain Serge Mykel Chekov (Serge, Possum-Chicken)  
Human Ethnicity: Russian  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: St. Petersburg, Russia  
Introduced: Episode 16.2  
Age when introduced: 64  
Role: Captain, U.S.S. Milky Way


	81. Episode 16.3 - Slavers: Self-Sealing Stem Bolts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars takes over his engine room...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode: 16: Slavers  
Scene 3: Self-Sealing Stem Bolts

16.3  
Self-Sealing Stem Bolts

Dr. Moon Sun Salek, the U.S.S. Hunter’s Director of Engineering, was gratified that her entire department were not only familiar with the name Dr. Geoffrey Horatio Alstars, but were familiar with his work and overawed by his presence. The theoretical math he had developed in his early 20’s that was the foundation of his doctorate in mathematics had transformed modern warp field engineering and the Crusher/Crumar/Carrera recursive warp engine would not have been possible without these equations. Most of Dr. Moon’s crew had at first assumed the new Ensign Alstars was a descendant of the great mathematician and not the actual article himself.  
Rigellian chelna had no longer life expectancy than humans – less, actually, so Dr. Alstars’ apparently undiminished strength and vigor at his age was a surprise to everyone. He looked like an old man - the only evidence of his chelna heritage were his somewhat large gold eyes and slightly long incisors. He certainly didn’t walk like an old man. In addition to his well-documented mathematical genius, he had quickly demonstrated an instinct for engineering as well.

“What are you doing Engineer Gibbon?” Alstars asked in his booming, precise and rather bristly Oxford accent.  
“Remounting the outer nacelle control panel to the primary control frame assembly,” Gibbon replied somewhat indistinctly, without looking up, his words slurred around something in his mouth.  
“No, no, stop that!”  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon froze, still holding a large and quite heavy control panel in place with his knee, a bolt in one hand, rivet wrench in the other and holding two more bolts in his mouth.  
Alstars, nearly 6’6”, crossed half of the main engineering deck in two great strides, reached out and put his large, wrinkled hand under Gibbon’s mouth. “Spit those out!”  
Gibbon dropped the two bolts from his mouth into Ensign Alstars’ hand.   
“These are self-sealing stem bolts! What are you trying to do, melt your teeth or weld your mouth shut?”  
“I’m just trying to get this panel…”  
“Put that down! No, wait, give me those tools first, and then put that down!”  
Gibbon dropped the other bolt and the rivet wrench into Ensign Alstars’ large hands. Alstars set the tools aside, then grasped two of the handles on the control panel and helped the young engineer lower it to the floor. Once the panel was on the floor, Alstars, towering over Gibbon, rapped his knuckles lightly on the young engineer’s forehead.   
“Hellooo?? Is there anybody in there?? I happen to know that there is a panel mounting horse in that cabinet...” Alstars gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. “And I also happen to know, because I checked, that it is fully equipped with not only all the clamps you need to keep that panel in place while you secure it to the primary control frame, but it also has all the movable trays and drawers you could want to keep tools and parts in so you don’t inadvertently swallow a white-hot rivet. But first you have to tell me why you were trying to mount a control panel that needs regular maintenance using self-sealing stem bolts?”  
“I’ba, uhm…” Gibbon stammered, incoherently.  
“That’s what I thought. You were using them so you wouldn’t have to drag out the mounting horse and do things the proper way. Save those self-sealing stem bolts for permanently mounted fixtures, get out the correct bolts, lugs and wrenches and do the job right, Mr. Gibbon!”

Alstars stormed off. He looked up and saw that Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas had observed his encounter from deck one. He winked at her and went back to a holographically projected clear-board he had been scrawling equations on before scolding Kerry Gibbon. He scowled at his equations, then waved his hands impatiently at the clear-board.   
“No, no, get rid of them.”  
The equations promptly vanished.  
“I haven’t had an original thought in 50 years and now everyone expects me to solve this riddle – how to get this whole blasted class of ships safely into recursive warp without artificial intelligence…” Alstars groused. He sighed, picked up a holographically projected black marker and started scrawling new equations, grumbling under his breath the entire time.

16.3


	82. Episode 16.4 - Slavers: The Needs of the Many

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Director of Section 31 oversees the torment of a romulan operative...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode: 16: Slavers  
Scene 4: The Needs of the Many

16.4  
The Needs of the Many

“I am unconcerned about the judgement of history, Director. My only concern is to ensure that there will be someone left to read that history.” Vice Admiral Senvol stood next to the Director of Section 31, Chief Justice Julian Bashir. “You were wise to select your co-conspirators exclusively from those of my people who have completed the kolinahr. Which leaves only you wracked with such concerns as whether the preservation of all life in the Alpha Quadrant might be worth the things we must do.”  
Both men were watching a live video feed of a stunningly beautiful romulan woman writhing and howling in agony. Her torment was not caused by anything so crude as physical pain. The ancient, blue-eyed vulcan in the room with her was such a powerful telepath and had spent so much time deeply enmeshed in her mind that he no longer needed to touch her to initiate or maintain a mind meld. The ability to communicate telepathically without touch was exceedingly rare among vulcans. The ability to remotely initiate and maintain a mind meld - especially one powerful enough to completely dominate another mind - was almost unheard of.

“He has a rare gift, Julian,” Senvol continued. “A depth of understanding of the terrors that lurk deep in the soul and how to evoke them and turn them to his purposes.”  
Bashir shuddered. He had grown gaunt and his skin had the unhealthy pallor of someone who spent too much time hidden from the light of day. “If he had not completed the kolinahr, I would think him a sadist.”   
“The kolinahr replaces such emotions as satisfaction and gratification with an understanding of the long term implication of our actions.” Like the vulcan administering the torment they were witnessing, Senvol was ancient - his face lined with age, his eyes green rimmed, his thinning hair turned a greenish gray. “My greatest concern is not for him, nor for her, but for you. By exposing yourself to every moment of Remma’s adjustment - the destruction and reconstruction of her personality - you endanger our desired outcome. And all of these things you agonize over may come to naught as a result.”  
“Someone must, Senvol,” said Bashir. “You can no longer feel your emotions. Neither can Scrivax. You have purged them through the kolinahr. But emotion must bear witness to the worst parts of what we do and still be able to say that it will be worth it. In a way, I have ordered her death - the death of her personality.”  
“You have ordered me to my death as well. I go without hesitation. And I will take many with me.”  
“That is different, Admiral. You know why you must do it. You are a military man and the people you will sacrifice are under your command. I know that Remma is a monster. She has done terrible things for the Romulan Senate. She has tortured and killed just to further the petty grievances of one romulan politician against another.”  
“Yet still you grieve for her?” Senvol asked.  
“I was a doctor before I became a judge. Before I became… Before I joined Section 31. Compassion was my first lesson. First do no harm.”  
“The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. Your responsibility as Director of Section 31 requires you to do harm. Deliberately. To do what is necessary because no one else can,” Senvol observed.  
“I despised the man whose place I took,” said Bashir. “And now I have become him.”  
“Slade was a good man. A tormented man. But a man with clear, moral vision and purpose,” said Senvol. “I trusted him with my life. With the lives of my people. All of my people. If you believe tearing yourself apart over the torment of this romulan woman is what you must do, then you are following his example. I saw him do much the same when harsh action was required. But this one woman’s torment is nothing compared to what lies ahead.”

The Director of Section 31 shuddered again. But he did not look away from the torment of their prisoner.

16.4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Vice Admiral Senvol  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Vulcan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Vulcana Regar, Vulcan  
Introduced: Episode 16.4  
Age when introduced: 192  
Role: Commanding Officer, Star Fleet 6th Fleet


	83. Episode 16.5 - Slavers: Lord Wooten-Sandleigh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars, newly assigned to the U.S.S. Hunter, has a math problem to solve.
> 
> _“I haven’t had an original thought in 50 years and now everyone expects me to solve this riddle – how to get this whole blasted class of ships safely into recursive warp without artificial intelligence…” Alstars groused. He sighed, picked up a holographically projected black marker and started scrawling new equations, grumbling under his breath the entire time..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
It's always refreshing to a series to add some new, interesting characters in the middle of the series. Geoff is a fun one.
> 
> I do a fair amount of research when creating these characters. There is a Lord Wooton-Sandleigh and the Order of Merit is one of the most exclusive knighthoods under the British crown. Wooton and Sandleigh are located near Oxford, so it is possible that an Oxford professor could carry that title and fill its responsibilities.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 5: Lord Wooton-Sandleigh

16.5  
Lord Wootton-Sandleigh

Dr. Alstars had started and re-started his equation four or six times - he had stopped counting - might have been eight… He sat on a track chair (locked securely in place, per procedure), long legs crossed, back straight, and ran his fingers through his thick mane of gray hair - still shot with a few reddish-blonde patches - which action made his hair stand out and gave him more than a little the look of an elderly and rather disgruntled lion. He took a sip of hot tea (in a safety sealed sip cup, per procedure) and grumbled under his breath, “Rome wasn’t built in a day…”  
At that moment, Dr. Moon swept by, Gaia Gamor and Navigators Johanna Imex and Eli Strahl in tow, and said, “Flight engineers and officers to the engineering conference room. Now please!”  
Alstars got up, quickly scrawled a few more characters onto the clear-board and headed toward the engineering conference room, located at the back of the engineering deck, directly underneath Dr. Moon’s office on deck one. He returned to the board, hastily scrawled a few more characters and stepped away again, then returned again, retrieved his teacup and set the marker on the clear-board. Then returned again to wave a frustrated hand at the board - “Discontinue hologram!” The clear-board and marker promptly vanished.

As Alstars settled at the conference table, which, like the walls of the room was clear lacquer, Dr. Moon called for the ship’s interactive holographic avatar. “Hunter, please display the wreckage of the B.R. Prophet Motive.”   
Alstars was gratified that the avatar had been designed after another elderly mathematician and engineer. He had only met Professor Jose Crumar a few times, but because Hunter had Crumar’s features, voice and mannerisms, he was much more relatable to Alstars than his engineers - all of whom (with the exception of Thomas Hobbs) seemed like children to him. Even Hobbs was only in his mid-50’s. With Hunter looking like Crumar, there was at least one other old codger running about that he could relate to.   
It was rather odd that the hologram chose to appear as a 6” tall Lilliputian standing on the conference table, but that made it easy for Hunter to walk around the projection of the wreckage of a large runabout, finished in cardassian yellow, and point out the telltale signs that it had been destroyed by orion phasers as well as damaged by encounters with high energy plasma.

“The Prophet Motive was left adrift in the Badlands” Hunter said. “No personnel - alive or dead - were found aboard. There is evidence that the craft had carried three emergency EVA suits. All of these were missing. It looks like, before exiting the craft, one of the occupants fed the computer core into the torpedo tube and launched it. Particle remains indicate that it was launched into a plasma cloud, along with a photon torpedo…”  
“They must have been desperate,” observed 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui. “I’m surprised there is as much of the ship left as it appears. Detonating a photon torpedo in a plasma cloud as big as the Badlands… That’s a really big, nasty explosion.”  
“We are scheduled to rendezvous with a ferengi marauder, then we will be headed toward the Badlands,” said Dr. Moon. “For obvious reasons, we cannot use the zip drive inside a massive plasma cloud and it is likely, given the evidence of a torpedo launch, that the topography of the entire region may have changed. Once we are in the cloud, we will not be able to exceed warp 3 and it is possible we will have to move much slower through some areas. The U.S.S. Galaxy has been dispatched from Deep Space 9 to the border of the Badlands, where they will use their sensors and probes to re-map the region. We should rendezvous with the Galaxy in four days. Hopefully they will have a fairly comprehensive topography by then.”   
Moon paused to take a drink of coffee (not in a lidded cup to Alstars’ silent dismay) before continuing. “Lieutenant Gamor has been assigned as our intermediary with Galaxy’s Stellar Cartography department. Hui, I want you to coordinate with their engineering department and gather everything they can pick up about the re-composition of the plasma fields and everything they can learn about effective shielding from their probes. Galaxy has already launched 400 probes into the Badlands and they will be conducting experiments with interaction between shields and the plasma cloud as well as using them for mapping.”  
“How many probes does one of those old Galaxy class cruisers carry?” asked Yolanda Thomas.  
“As many as they need,” Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs replied. “The Galaxy class had factories installed during the last series of upgrades and now carry a large number of civilian manufacturers. They also had interceptor bays installed to carry eight of the new long-range interceptors.”  
Alstars thumped the conference table impatiently, giving both of his engineers a warning glare.  
“Hey! Careful with that finger,” said the 6” tall projection of Hunter, staggering slightly on the table and drawing a quick laugh from everyone except Alstars and Moon.  
Dr. Moon cleared her throat. “I want all of you to study everything we have on the B.R. Prophet Motive and everything about the Badlands. You have four days to become experts on both of these. But not you, Sir Geoffrey,” Moon added, looking at Alstars. “Your project is top priority for Star Fleet.”  
“If you please, Director, I prefer Ensign. We’re more than a thousand light years from Merry Old England and I would rather not have any of this Sir Geoffrey or Lord Wootton-Sandleigh silliness. At my age, Star Fleet OCS was no picnic and I fancy the title I feel I actually earned.”  
Moon smiled. “Understood and appreciated, Ensign. Before you go back your equations - and the rest of you to your stations, I need to notify Pep. We have received a broadcast from Star Fleet Operations, but Pep wanted this meeting to be complete before relaying it.” Moon unconsciously looked up as the communication system automatically adjusted to carry her voice to the bridge. “Pep? We’re ready down here.”

Commander David Pepper’s voice was heard throughout the ship. “All hands, please stand by for a broadcast from Star Fleet Operations…”

16.5


	84. Episode 16.6 - Slavers: The Battle of the Coridan Corridor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart announces in a fleet-wide broadcast the outcome of the Battle of the Corridan Corridor.
> 
> _“But we did pay a heavy price for this victory. I regret to inform you that we lost 13 of our long-range interceptors in this battle and of those, only four crew-members survived. The I.K.V. kHov Bome and the U.S.S. Intrepid in particular suffered heavy damage and heavy casualties..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I use a number of different narrative devices to explain space battles. Series 3 (currently being written) features some full-fledged wars, so I will be pressed to come up with new ways to explain this violence without getting repetitive.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 6: The Battle of the Coridan Corridor

16.6  
The Battle of the Coridan Corridor

“All Star Fleet personnel and other authorized parties, this is Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart, Director of Star Fleet Operations. At 4 hours, 9 minutes Star Fleet standard time this morning, a flight of 18 orion light interceptors engaged the U.S.S. Intrepid in the Coridan Corridor, inside Federation space. As you may be aware, the Orion Syndicate has become increasingly aggressive with slaving operations targeting pre-warp civilizations within Federation space, and has conducted particularly egregious raids against two such worlds located near the Coridan Corridor, farming these worlds for slaves in open abrogation of the Babel Treaties and the Khitomer Accords.  
“This orion strike force was only the vanguard of what turned out to be a much larger group of orion marauders and a previously unknown new class of orion heavy destroyers. With great courage and discipline, the crews of the U.S.S. Intrepid and the U.S.S. Victory worked together with our heroic klingon allies aboard the I.K.V. Nome under Commander Koraj and the I.K.V. kHov Bome under Captain Warg to draw out this large force of orion ships.   
“In what was, in my opinion, the most flawlessly conducted Star Fleet combined operation in the past century, Captain Serge Mykel Chekov set a trap for the orion slavers and led a large task force of our ships, including the Andorian Imperial Guard Vessel, the I.G.V. Ravonnelle, along with two full squadrons of our new long-range interceptors into battle and destroyed 18 orion marauders, 42 orion light interceptors and four of their new heavy destroyers. Not one orion ship or interceptor survived the Battle of Coridan Corridor. And all Star Fleet ships and the two klingon ships are coming home.  
“But we paid a heavy price for this victory. I regret to inform you that we lost 13 of our long-range interceptors in this battle and only 4 of those interceptor pilots survived. The I.K.V. kHov Bome and the U.S.S. Intrepid in particular suffered heavy damage and heavy casualties, including the loss of Captain Warg and Captain Sullivan Parker Cruz, both on their first tour of duty in command. The U.S.S. Victory also suffered heavy damage and considerable casualties. A comprehensive list will be published once their families have been notified. In all, 19 klingon warriors and 117 Star Fleet crew members, along with 8 associated civilians serving on the Victory gave their lives to this effort.  
“On behalf of a grateful Federation, I want to express our profound gratitude toward and pride in our valiant klingon allies who risked and gave their lives with great honor and thank Chancellor Martok for allowing these courageous crews to join us in this effort to protect the innocent from slavery. I also want to thank Emperor Sin IV for contributing the I.G.V. Ravonnelle and its crew and heavy interceptors to this effort. Their courage, honor and above all, their discipline made this complete victory possible.

“Additionally, Admiral Jamaal El Fadil, Star Fleet Chief of Staff, has authorized me to announce at this time the promotion of Serge Chekov to Rear Admiral. And Rear Admiral Chekov has chosen the U.S.S. Milky Way as his flagship.

“I want to make it clear that a large number of orions are members of Star Fleet and 9 of our casualties in this action were orion or had orion heritage, including Captain Cruz. We have not yet heard from any members of the Orion Allied Governments and at this point we do not have a full picture of how the alliance will react. In spite of the actions of the slavers and the Orion Syndicate, the majority of orions living and working in Federation space are peaceful and lawful members of our society and respect the rights of pre-warp civilizations to privacy and insulation from influence by advanced races. Please allow me to emphasize that orions are not, generally speaking, our enemies. Do not allow your opinion of a great people to be colored by the acts of an outlaw minority.

“Detailed briefings for all Star Fleet commanding officers and government officials will be provided by Star Fleet Intelligence along appropriate communication channels. Please direct any questions you have to your commanding officers. We do not yet know whether to expect additional incursions along our border with the orion alliance, but I can assure you that we are prepared for them if they come.

“To all Star Fleet and associated personnel: Thank you for your service. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your forbearance. Thank you for your discipline. This is Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart, signing out.”

16.6


	85. Episode 16.7 - Slavers: And Then There Were Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
There were four Section 31 agents on The U.S.S. Hunter. And now there are three. And Justice Irons has a new assignment for Dr Tali Shae - someone she has to rescue...
> 
> _"Who is the slave?” Tali asked._  
_“My grandson-in-law,” said Irons. “Pomm.”_  
_“Poor kid,” Tali said. “He’s probably sweating his massive, flabby buns off.”_  
_“Pomm has a talent for being underestimated.” Irons smiled. “My granddaughter chose well when she married him. There’s the heart of an Irons under all that blubber..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Section 31 plays a very large role in this overall story.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Episode 7: And Then There Were Three

16.7  
And Then There Were Three

“So… Rear Admiral Possum?” Dr. Tali Shae asked.  
“He has his admirers, Tali, and they call him Possum-Chicken,” Irons responded. “I don’t like the man much, but I admire his tendency to bring people home alive.”  
“I have already heard grumbling that he held the Milky Way and the Ravonnelle back for three hours while orion forces burned down his former first officer. The Intrepid is coming home, but they’re having to tow it. It and the Victory,” Tali observed.   
“You remain wisely silent, Kenneth, any observations?” Irons asked.  
Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin and Cmdr. Tali Shae were seated on the couch in the captain’s stateroom. A bottle of pineapple cider and tumblers were set on the table before them. Justice Minerva Irons, wrapped in a black and scarlet kimono, was in her lounge chair, her legs folded under her, a tumbler of the sparkling beverage in her hand.  
“I don’t envy Chekov and I would not want to wear that much platinum on my collar,” Dolphin observed. “It comes with the requirement to occasionally send your friends to their deaths. I understand he dribbled ships into the fray specifically to lure out all of the orion forces so that he could destroy them all in one action. Do you know why the Ravonnelle was assigned to that action?”

“Redemption, Lieutenant Commander,” Irons replied, “In return for the destruction of two Star Fleet interceptors and killing one of our pilots in the Battle over Rings. The Emperor Sin IV has assigned the Ravonnelle to Rear Admiral Chekov for the next three years and requested that they be put first in battle as often as possible. They are to put their lives on the line for the Federation and return with their shields or on them.”  
“Our new emperor is quite the mercurial soul,” said Tali. “I hear he has pulled our delegation to the Federation Council out of the Moderate coalition.”  
“I can’t see Andoria joining the Homeworld coalition,” Dolphin said.  
“Not the Homeworld coalition,” Irons responded. “The Federal coalition. A few bolians and humans left the Moderates as well, so Ushi no longer has a majority. Your friend has been busy.” She took a drink of her cider.  
Kenny Dolphin coughed on his drink. It took a moment for him to recover. “You think this is Ivonovic’s doing?”  
“Emory Ivonovic has made some very astute alliances,” Irons replied, “the most surprising of them with Emperor Sin IV. I still agree with you that it would have been a disaster if Ivonovic had surrendered to the Tribunal. But why was he so ready to do so? Do you think he was angling to get a seat on the Federation Council?”  
“Ivonovic is far more subtle than he appears,” said Kenny. “But I think that was just a stroke of luck for him. He was afraid of a romulan intelligence operative. He seemed to think she answers directly to the Romulan Senate. Apparently she is in command of that cardassian cruiser that attacked us last year. So what happens to Ushi? Does he lose power?”

Irons laughed. “Ushi has been setting the agenda for the Federation Council for more than 40 years now. Most of that time without any coalition having a functional majority. There is no such thing as a prime minister or a ‘no confidence’ vote. Whoever can put together the most votes sets the agenda and names the committees.”   
“I had a hard time at first believing he was your son,” said Dolphin. “And no idea how he keeps getting elected.”  
“I keep forgetting that Earth representatives are popularly elected by district,” said Tali. “Most Federation Council members are appointed by their homeworld governments. How does that strange child of yours keep winning elections?”  
Irons took a sip of her pineapple cider, smiled. “Ushi’s opponents have always withdrawn before their names could be registered on a ballot. He is a very secretive man – he keeps his secrets and he knows everyone else’s secrets. He is by far the strangest of my children. And the most prolific – he has given me 31 grandchildren.”  
“I heard he is the master of some ancient form of martial arts,” said Dolphin.  
“I honestly don’t know,” Irons responded. “His father taught him Ba Gua Zhang and Jujitsu when he was young, but he started studying on his own before he was a teenager and would quit the moment he realized he was being observed. If he is a master of any form, it is most likely one he developed himself. And it seems he has sired a race just as strange and secretive as he is.”  
“Ushi may have met his match in Sin IV,” Tali Shae observed. “You have had more dealings with him than me, but he has always had a reputation for secrecy and unpredictability. Why do you think he instructed his delegation to shift over to the Federal coalition?”   
“By withdrawing from the Moderate coalition, the andorians have become the swing vote,” Irons replied, “so Ushi has to specially court them. But that only worked because Ivonovic was able to convince enough other members to leave the Moderates so they no longer have a majority.” Irons drained her glass.  
“Which makes your friend another unique power player that Ushi also has to deal with,” said Tali.  
“You keep calling him ‘my friend’,” Dolphin objected.  
“He cultivated you because he realized you could be useful to him,” Irons observed. She stood up, stretched her legs, grunted in discomfort. ”I can no longer sit in that position for very long…” Irons sat back down, stretched her legs in front of her, sighed heavily. “That interview with you allowed Ivonovic to broaden his appeal not only to nearly all the various naturalborn groups and their sympathizers, but also to a much broader audience who seem to be growing more receptive to your writings. He’s capitalizing on your notoriety. Not only as a philosopher, but also your notoriety within Star Fleet as a pilot. All of that gives you some clout with him. You should cultivate that relationship – if not for your sake, for all of ours.” Irons set her empty tumbler on the table, then placed three fingers from her left hand on the table and very briefly held up the index finger of her right hand.

Kenny Dolphin and Tali Shae looked at each other in surprise.  
“There were four of us,” said Irons. She refilled her tumbler, settled back into her lounge chair. Lifted her glass. “The late Lynhart Shran.”  
Dolphin and Tali Shae lifted their glasses. Until that moment, neither had been aware that Investigator Shran - or that each the other - was a member of the federation’s top secret organization, Section 31. An organization so secret, they avoided speaking the name openly even in the privacy of the captain’s quarters.

“We have a serious problem,” Irons continued after a long drink. “For the moment our assignments align. But if you receive instructions that seem strange to you, trust your own judgement over the organization. I hardly need say it, but trust me before you trust them.”  
Tali Shae’s antennae were standing at attention now.  
Dolphin glanced at the doctor. “They’re compromised,” he said.  
Tali looked questioningly at Irons. “How did he…”  
“Quadropseudoprozadiazomine,” Irons responded with a gesture toward Dolphin. “It allowed him to go through a mind-meld with a contaminated vulcan without becoming compromised too. That’s how the organization is being infiltrated. It’s being passed along by vulcans through mind-melds. I recommend you keep some quadropseudoprozadiazomine – if you get into a situation that might involve a mind-meld, inject it as a prophylactic.”   
Irons stood up, began pacing. “I have an assignment for you, Tali. We will be meeting with Damon Trock of the Ferengi Merchant Ship Usotro. You are to pose as your cousin, Autti Shae and travel with him to an orion slave auction. You will take Reeves and his team for security.”  
“Just the vacation I needed,” Tali quipped. “I assume my cover is because Autti is now the Emperor’s physician?”  
“And the two of you are reasonably close in looks,” Irons replied. “Arrangements have been made with the andorian government. Unless someone is there who actually knows Autti, your cover should be secure. All of the computers will identify you as her.”  
“I don’t think she is all that well known in either ferengi or orion circles. Who is the slave?” Tali asked.  
“My grandson-in-law,” said Irons. “Pomm.” She drained her glass.  
“Poor kid,” Tali said. “He’s probably sweating his massive, flabby buns off.”  
“Pomm has a talent for being underestimated.” Irons smiled. “My granddaughter chose well when she married him. There’s the heart of an Irons under all that blubber. You need to find out what has happened to Oarama and, more critically, Pivin. More hinges on that little old romulan woman than I care to admit…”

16.7


	86. Episode 16.8 - Slavers: Tolon's Women

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Ensign Tolon's tactical squad prepare for an unusual undercover operation... Without much cover...
> 
> _Dr. Tali Shae, clad in tight leathers in the latest andorian civilian fashion, strode into the transporter room and viewed this risqué spectacle on the transporter pad. Her antennae bristled. “Stop that! Can’t this wait until we arrive at the slave market? Or at least until we’re aboard the Usotro?”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I wouldn't replace the old tactical squad with an all-new squad of hot, badass, 6' tall telepathically endowed women and not have something for them to do...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 8: Tolon's Women

16.8  
Tolon’s Women

“Oh… my… goddess…” Ensign Tolon Reeves was almost speechless as he joined his tactical squad in the transporter room. His four tall, athletic tactical specialists had received surgical pigmentation and hair implants. Their once bronze skin was now a uniform dark green and their short, blonde hair had been replaced by cascades of thick, wavy, coal black curls. Their lips, fingernails and toenails were painted a deep, vibrant scarlet. At just over 6’, the four women were considerably taller than average for orion women. But it was the scant clothing that had rendered Reeves dumbfounded. Skin-tight midnight blue straps barely held their ample breasts in place and their matching bikini bottoms might as well have been spray-painted on. Each woman was also draped in diaphanous violet and red scarves that neither covered nor concealed their sleek, muscular bodies.

“You have no need for orion pheromones. Your victims will succumb to their own hormones just from looking at you,” Reeves said. Although not surgically altered himself, Reeves was out of uniform He was wearing loose, baggy pants, shirt and vest, all made of beautifully colored, carefully detailed and far-too-comfortable silks. He had left his own family earring behind and was wearing the earring of an enormous and famously wealthy bajoran family.  
Chief Tactical Specialist Rume Grace smiled wickedly. “I’m afraid sir, for us to play our roles properly, that you must be our victim…”  
“Hey… I have a girlfriend you know,” Reeves objected. “A really cute one that I’d like to keep…”  
“And she is in love with a Star Fleet officer who has an obligation to duty,” simpered Tactical Specialist Ranni Neivi, trailing her fingers over Ensign Tolon’s mostly bald head and toying with his comb-over.  
Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba pressed her nearly naked body tightly against Reeve’s back and ran her hands firmly over his belly and chest.

Dr. Tali Shae, clad in tight leathers in the latest andorian civilian fashion, strode into the transporter room and viewed this risqué spectacle on the transporter pad. Her antennae bristled. “Stop that! Can’t this wait until we arrive at the slave market? Or at least until we’re aboard the Usotro?”  
Dasare Eba rested her chin on the top of Reeves’ head and pouted. “I’m afraid it cannot be delayed.”  
“We all need to settle into our roles well before we are seen by anyone else,” said Chief Grace, stepping up behind Tali Shae as she took her place on the transporter pad and twining her long body around the andorian doctor’s back, causing the curvy andorian woman’s right antennae to spasm spontaneously - like the leg of a small dog being mercilessly tickled.  
“We can’t help it,” added Tactical Specialist Veri Geki. She nuzzled Reeves’ ear, then looked up at Dr. Tali Shae:

“We’re method actors.”

Tali sighed and gave Midshipman Tammy Brazil a pained look, her right antenna still spasming helplessly. “Energize… Please?”

16.8


	87. Episode 16.9 - Slavers: Vengeons-Roux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Meanwhile, on Vengeons-Roux, Pivin and Oarama discover some desperate refugees...
> 
> _“I see you have cultivated my garden,” Oarama finally said to her involuntary hosts. “You are refugees.”_  
_“From romulans, cardassians, humans, bajorans, the jem’hadar, and now those green slavers,” said an elderly romulan male. “They were the ones who took our children and our grandchildren and left us only with babies, and only these four of the babies have survived...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Part of the fun of writing this story is getting to meet all these characters..

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 9: Vengeons-Roux

16.9  
Vengeons-Roux

From the landing site to the supply and survival station that Pomm and Oarama had built several years ago was a six hour walk through old growth forest with little underbrush. Oarama and Pivin could see that they were being tracked at a distance by the wolf-like animals they had observed on their arrival. Both women carried Andorian Imperial Guard issue phaser rifles slung on their backs and each had a hand phaser concealed in her clothing. But the women wanted to avoid using their phasers unless absolutely necessary. The heavy plastic skids from their flight suits made fine walking sticks, each a with shepherd’s crook at the top. As the women walked, they would occasionally gouge the bare, forest floor with their walking sticks.  
As they got within a few hundred meters of the supply station, their lupine escort melted away and both women unslung their phaser rifles under the assumption the quadrupeds were shy of the area because it was occupied. Pivin’s superior hearing picked up the sound of voices at almost the same moment that Oarama was able to detect wraiths of heat moving near the mouth of the cave which she and Pomm had stocked so many years ago. Both women stopped and observed.  
A fire had been started in the cave - Oarama could not see the flames or a trail of smoke, but she could smell it. Evidently the inhabitants were using the stove that she and Pomm had hidden in the cave, along with a chimney system to route the smoke away from the cave. She and Pivin the Betrayer crept closer and were soon able to observe a small number of people tending the plants outside the cave.   
The two women noticed the watchers at the same moment and stopped their movement. The watchers at the edge of the tree line appeared to be children, but serious, alert children. They were now close enough to hear the people talking quietly, but Oarama could not pick out any words.   
Two individuals, appearing to be young boys by their size, emerged from the tree line into the camp, carrying what could only be firewood. The larger of these spoke in a loud voice, causing some of the adults in the camp to move away from him and others to come and relieve him of the firewood he was carrying. Others came more eagerly to the smaller boy and relieved him of firewood.   
Oarama did not need to understand the language to gather that the larger boy was throwing his weight around. The children who had been watching at the edge of the forest had turned their attention back in to the camp, giving Pivin and Oarama the opportunity to move much closer. Oarama could tell by Pivin’s expression that the older romulan woman was outraged. As they got closer to the camp and could observe its denizens more closely, Oarama began to understand why.

Romulans. Elderly romulans. Very elderly romulans and a small number of young romulan children. Oarama checked her communicator. The universal translator should have translated romulan, but the communicator had no power. Oarama did not know whether Pivin’s communicator was working, but it didn’t matter - these people were speaking her language. Pivin walked straight into the camp. Oarama held back, covering the elderly romulan with her phaser rifle. These romulans did not appear to be armed. Both the elderly and the children huddled back as Pivin emerged from the trees, but the older boy challenged her loudly. He pulled out a homemade bow, but before he could fit an arrow to it, Pivin neatly cut it in half with her phaser.  
Oarama checked her own phaser - still set on stun. Pivin must have changed the setting in the moment she lifted and used the weapon - with tremendous accuracy and confidence. If her pencil-thin beam had encountered one of the romulans it would have sliced effortlessly through flesh and bone. Oarama was suddenly reminded of Pivin’s decades of service in the Romulan Imperial Ground Forces. Of course she was expert with a phaser. As quickly as she had raised and used the weapon, she had returned it to her back.  
The older boy had a sly expression. He was wise enough to realize that Pivin had no intention of killing him, so he moved forward to challenge her hand to hand. Pivin was ignoring the boy and speaking to the elders - who were apparently trying to warn her about the boy’s impending attack. This boy had a lot of lessons to learn. Oarama had the opportunity to deliver one of those lessons - she could stun the boy, letting him know that people like Pivin more often than not had backup.  
But that was a lesson for another time. The first thing the boy needed to learn was his place - and that was a lesson for Pivin to teach. Before the young romulan realized he had stepped into range, without turning to look at him, Pivin caught his leg with the crook of her walking stick and swept his legs out from under him. The boy sprang back up in a rage and attacked - only to receive the other end of the walking stick to his sternum, robbing him of his breath.

Oarama was gratified that the boy continued his aggression unabated - like any good romulan or cardassian should. Best for him to burn out his dream of dominance and learn his lesson thoroughly than to seethe in humiliation and nurse vengeful fantasies as a human or a bajoran child might. Oarama smiled, thinking that it was exactly that duplicity of false humility and hidden strength that she loved so much about Pomm - there was always another hidden strength or ability that she had never known about - even after 15 years of marriage spending nearly every hour together. She missed him terribly.

Pivin had transferred the walking stick to her right hand and was leaning on it. She was blocking the boy’s continued aggressions with a variety of jabs and blocks using only her left arm - all the while never looking at him and continuing to ask questions of the elders and draw them into conversation. The boy’s aggression had gradually been replaced with curiosity. His wild, angry attacks were replaced with more clever, probing ones - learning more now about Pivin’s art of self-defense, well aware that he was completely outmatched.

After reviewing her environment carefully, Oarama stepped quietly into the encampment and waited, just inside the tree line to be noticed. The elders were clearly both fascinated with and frightened of Pivin. When they finally noticed a cardassian in their midst, they were clearly terrified. The boy was startled out of his wits, never having thought that his antagonist might have an accomplice. He ceased his attacks and remained very still. Since she could not understand a word any of them were saying, Oarama also remained still and waited until it was clear that Pivin had calmed the other romulans sufficiently that they could accept their visitors.   
With a few moments now to let down her guard, Oarama squatted down to her haunches and worked on her communicator. She was able to bring the universal translator online, but none of the communicator’s other functions were working.  
“I see you have cultivated my garden,” Oarama finally said to her involuntary hosts. “You are refugees.”  
“From romulans, cardassians, humans, bajorans, the jem’hadar, and now those green slavers,” said an elderly romulan male. “They were the ones who took our children and our grandchildren and left us only with babies, and only these four of the babies have survived.”  
“I am Oarama Irons. I am free. My husband and I are Federation citizens. He is bajoran.”  
“I am Dibos. So a bajoran married a cardassian…” the elderly romulan mused, not certain what to make of this information.  
“My father was cardassian. My mother is part cardassian, bajoran and human - and just a little bit vulcan, trill and betazoid,” Oarama Irons replied. “I take it you have been able to eat the gogo root that my husband and I planted here. And the callolope?  
“We did not know your names for these plants, but our palates have grown accustomed to them. But we cannot digest the goo of these plants…” He indicated a large plant with stiff, thick fronds.  
“That’s Aloe Vera. The goo is medicinal. You seal your wounds and rashes with it,” Oarama replied.  
“I think that may only work on people with red blood,” Dibos responded.  
“Unless you have an allergic or toxic reaction to it, it should at the least seal and protect the wound and it has some antibacterial properties,” Oarama said.

16.9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Dibos  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Sentor, Romulus  
Introduced: Episode 16.9  
Age when introduced: 167  
Role: Refugee


	88. Episode 16.10 - Slavers: TPD Unit 1 ADM 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Special Agent Johnny Canada of the Trantor Police Intelligence Division is back. And he has a plan...
> 
> _“We’ve been getting a lot of conflicting information from Star Fleet Intelligence and from our Federation Council members,” said Canada. “That’s why the Blue Wraith were commissioned. With three billion people to look after, the City of Trantor has to track every threat separately. We can’t afford to rely on Star Fleet or anybody else...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I put a lot of easter eggs into this story. Lots of Star Trek actors names and producers names are salted into the minor characters - such as Star Fleet Commandant Barrett th'Zoarhi. The title of this chapter is another - referencing one of the first cop shows on syndicated television... 1-Adam-12...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 10: TPD Unit 1 ADM 12

16.10  
TPD Unit 1 ADM 12

“We have a small ship coming in at high warp,” said 2nd Lt. T’Lon, currently standing watch at the tactical/communication station. “They are requesting permission to dock.”  
“On screen,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mlady. The U.S.S. Hunter had just stopped for supplies at Starbase 91 and was preparing to go to warp.   
“They’re hailing us,” T’Lon said.  
Mlady gestured with her thumb and T’Lon activated the link.  
“Unidentified ship, this is the U.S.S. Hunter, Mlady commanding. Please identify yourself and your intention.”  
A familiar, smiling face appeared on the viewer. “Hello Mlady commanding. Is Justice Irons home? Oh - this is the Trantor Police Department Administrative District Monitor, Unit 1 ADM 12.”  
The door to the captain’s office opened and Justice Irons emerged and turned toward the viewer. “Please dock on our port side, Agent Canada. We were just about to go to warp and we are in a hurry.”  
“I am well aware of that, your honor. I think you’ll consider this brief delay worth your while.”

A few moments later, the Trantor Police monitor was docked with the Hunter and Special Agents Johnny Canada and Anana Lynarr had joined Justice Minerva Irons, Commander David Pepper, Lt. Tauk and Investigator Buttans Ngumbo in the executive conference room.   
“We’ve been getting a lot of conflicting information from Star Fleet Intelligence and from our Federation Council members,” said Canada. “That’s why the Blue Wraith were commissioned. With three billion people to look after, the City of Trantor has to track every threat separately. We can’t afford to rely on Star Fleet or anybody else.”   
“Recently, we’ve been picking up so many threats, we’ve been feeding more information to SFI than we’ve been getting from them,” Canada continued. “There are several different threats that we are tracking. Our analysis indicates the andorian rebellion is picking up energy and while Andoria itself is probably secure, the colonies are at threat and especially of concern to us, the andorian community in Trantor, and three other cities on Cun Ling. We’re also tracking what I think are continuing threats from the orion slavers. I don’t think their power is destroyed even with the loss of all those ships. We’re also tracking rumors that the nausicaans are going to make another play for Pillo - especially now that Captain - um - rather Rear Admiral Chekov pulled the Victory away - leaving only a couple of Prowler class ships in orbit. But my biggest worry is Vulcan.”  
“What makes you think Vulcan might come under attack?” asked Tauk.  
“We’ve been picking up chatter all over Vulcan and on a few of their nearby colonies from the separatist movement for the past two years. Recently, we have monitored an increase in the chatter. We think the vulcan separatists are trying to coordinate a romulan assault to take the system over - but under the cover of several simultaneous attacks. Star Fleet’s victory at Coridan Corridor may have set their plans back, but not by much. I have already informed Star Fleet Intelligence and if that division has earned its name, they will increase security around the Vulcan system.” Johnny Canada turned toward Irons. “As I understand it, you are trying to locate Pivin the Betrayer?”  
“I’m not sure how you know that, Agent Canada,” said Irons. “But the fact you can know something like that when even Star Fleet Operations doesn’t is quite disturbing to me.”  
“Lynhart Shran became a bit of a hero to me,” Canada admitted. “It seemed like he was in the middle of everything and I think you, personally, are the reason why. I’ve been keeping tabs. I don’t know what you’re hoping to learn from the Betrayer that you don’t already know, but whatever it is, I strongly believe it will affect Trantor’s security, which means I need to be involved. I understand you have not replaced Investigator Shran yet?”  
“I really have no idea how to replace him,” said Buttans. “Since the contract was with our agency, it’s my responsibility to find another Investigator, but I just can’t imagine anyone replacing him.”  
“Until you find another business partner, what would you think about subcontracting with the Trantor Police Intelligence Division?” Canada asked. “As Special Agent In Charge, I am responsible for assigning field agents to deep cover. I would like to embed Special Agent Anana Lynarr with you. This would give you the full support of the Blue Wraith and would help keep me more informed of things I need to know to identify potential threats to my city. Believe me, if either Pillo or Vulcan were to fall, that would be an enormous threat to Trantor’s security. Maybe TPDID could help you prevent those things from coming to pass.”  
“I would have to go through channels…” Justice Irons started.  
“Ah, but Anana has quit the Blue Wraith - bad quarterly reviews. And while you have ultimate approval over whom Mr. Buttans here employs, your contract does not require you to scrutinize his candidates if you choose not to…”  
“You know, Mr. Canada, I do believe Lynhart secretly liked you…” Irons observed. “You will give with both hands?”  
“May we have the room, your honor?”  
Irons looked at Pep. “David?”  
“Alright you lot, shuffle off to the kiddie table. Let’s let the adults talk,” Pep said, clearing the room, and squeezing out of the door after them.

“It is starting to look as though you will be working for me,” Buttans Ngumbo said to the young bolian agent as he and Lt. Tauk led her to the ground operations center.   
“I was a Blue Helmet for two years before transferring from the Uniform Division to intelligence,” said Lynarr. “Johnny recruited me for the Blue Wraith. He never told me why.”  
“Either that or you’re not ready to tell me,” Ngumbo replied. “We have a lot of down time between assignments.” He ushered her to the workstation Shran had previously occupied. “We know the orions took Pomm Irons from the Prophet Motive. We haven’t had any word about his wife, Oarama or Pivin the Betrayer. We are working on the assumption that they were abandoned in the Badlands. The Maquis built four stations there, but those were all destroyed by the Dominion. That leaves eight planets or moons with breathable atmospheres and about 20 or 30 other rocks large enough to build a pressurized shelter on.”

After Commander Pepper left the conference room, Johnny Canada turned to watch him, scratching the back of his head with three fingers. He turned, resumed his seat and picked up a glass of water, took a drink, his little finger extended.   
Irons was not surprised that Canada was a member of Section 31. Given his position of leadership in the Trantor Police Department Intelligence Division, he had to be a prime candidate for recruitment and was no doubt a valuable asset.

“Investigator Shran showed me the knots,” Canada said. “I have no idea how he knew. But he also knew I was getting strange instructions. Now the whole organization has fallen silent. I’ve known months to go by without any communication, but never in the face of threats – especially not threats like what we’re facing now.”

“Lynhart told me you were one of us, Agent Canada,” Irons replied. “In these times it appears we cannot trust our own and especially not our leadership. But Lynhart seemed to think of you as one of the good guys.”  
“Then you’ll take Anana? I have more than one reason for wanting to her in your operation. She’s a superb analyst and a keen observer of behavior. And she has a gift for decrypting signals. But she isn’t a strong fighter and I fear the Blue Wraith are going to be on the front line, facing increasing danger at every turn. Your boat isn’t the safest place in the universe, but I would sleep just a little better if she were on it.”  
“That sounds like a very temporary solution, Mr. Canada.”  
“All solutions are temporary,” Canada replied. “And please, I’m just Johnny. Especially on any open communication channel…”

16.10


	89. Episode 16.11 - Slavers: The F.M.S. Usotro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damon Trock proves a tough nut for the Hunter's vixens to crack...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode: 16: Slavers  
Scene 11: The F.M.S. Usotro

16.11  
The F.M.S. Usotro

Damon Trock was less than communicative, despite the attentions of the U.S.S. Hunter’s (currently green) tactical squad. Trock turned out to be a taciturn, highly disciplined ferengi shipmaster, highly suspicious of Star Fleet, but a reliable resource for the Irons family, which had profited him and his crew greatly. He spurned the advances of Rumi Grace and her team and would only speak to Dr. Tali Shae – and that only moments before depositing the Hunter’s task force at the orion slave auction.

“You are not the only buyers I am carrying,” Trock said. “We are currently outside of federation space. All transactions will be conducted outside of federation space and my other buyers will disembark with their purchases before this ship re-enters federation space. I am very careful to obey local laws. Our relationship will be severely damaged if you try to enforce Federation law outside of federation space. Do I make myself clear?”  
“Minerva Irons’ word is my word,” Tali replied.  
“Be at the beam-in site in three of your standard hours and be prepared to wait when you get there. Keep your faces clean. If you make a mess of things down there, I may have a hard time extracting you. I am being well paid to return you and your cargo safely to the Irons family, but if it comes to a choice between you and my ship, I will protect the Usotro first. Some advice – I have seen Star Fleet bungle this kind of mission before. You want a bajoran. Don’t let the orion slavers know you want a particular bajoran. Bid on every bajoran that comes up for auction and purchase a few of them. I’m sure the Irons family can figure out what to do with them and I have been assured I will be appropriately reimbursed for whatever you spend here. I’m working this job on commission, so the more you spend, the more valuable you become to me.” The ferengi captain handed the doctor a large talisman of his face fixed to a sturdy chain. Similar, but smaller talismans were provided to Ensign Tolon Reeves and each of his four tactical specialists.  
“Keep these on you at all times. They are your passage back onto my ship. They are keyed to your unique biologies and have an audible alarm in case someone tries to remove them or if someone else puts them on. Only the large one authorizes any expenditures on my account. When you come to an agreement, rub the ears and speak the price and the auctioneer’s designation into the pendant. The credit will be lodged to the auctioneer’s account and the debit to mine.”

Damon Trock had kept his passengers separated, so the first time the Hunter’s task force met their fellow travelers from the F.M.S. Usotro was at the beam-in point for the slave market. The beam-in point was a rather forbidding open area on the face of an asteroid. Only an energy force field bubble stood between this pocket of breathable atmosphere and the cold of space. The only light was provided by the force field itself. The six crew members from the Hunter and their fellow travelers stood on an area of deck plating that provided sufficient artificial gravity to keep them on the face of the asteroid. The other buyers from the Usotro were two giant and impressively muscled orion men (both about the size of the Hunter’s part-orion first officer), four ferengi in a tight group, a tall and rather overweight older romulan woman and a young human male with unruly, dark brown hair accompanied by two gangling female nausicaans – both somewhat taller than the orion males, but less than half their mass. All of these fellow travelers were wearing the larger Trock talismans except the two nausicaan females, who, like Tolon and his group, had the smaller pendants that did not provide access to Damon Trock’s credit accounts.  
Not having met on the Usotro, each group appeared less than willing to get close to any of the others and the entire delegation from the ferengi merchant ship remained silent until a door opened in the deck plating on the surface of the asteroid to reveal a staircase into a lighted, warm environment inside the asteroid.

16.11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Damon Trock  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Ferengi  
Hometown/Homeworld: Dos, Ferenginar  
Introduced: Episode 16.11  
Age when introduced: 51  
Role: Captain, F.M.S. Usotro


	90. Episode 16.12 - Slavers: The Market (Part 1 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Dr. Tali Shae, along with the U.S.S. Hunter's tactical squad, arrive at an Orion Syndicate slave market to rescue Justice Irons' bajoran grandson-in-law, Pomm. As with most plans in the Star Trek universe... the plan goes awry.
> 
> _Into the midst of all this chaos, Pomm Irons released an enraged, giant klingon warrior..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
These are the scenes I love to write - when things go off the rails and get really chaotic. It should have a classic Trek feel to it - Trek is wonderful when it goes off the rails...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 12: The Market

16.12  
The Market

Two large orion males checked each of the Usotro’s passengers to remove any weapons and verify their Trock talismans, but seemed otherwise generally uninterested in them.   
Inside the asteroid, 16 large cages held a variety of slaves and there were almost as many buyers as slaves. The entire operation was run by a number of gigantic orion males and a larger number of orion females (known as slave-girls – it was generally known they controlled the orion men with their pheromones.)   
The auction began with a number of humans being sold, then a large number of romulans were auctioned off. Tali ignored the proceedings (or pretended to), luxuriating in the attentions of Rumi Grace. While Tolon Reeves was also being toyed with, he and the other three members of his tactical squad were observing the auction. The older romulan who had landed with them bid on every able-bodied romulan that was auctioned, but passed over any that did not appear fit (a number of them appeared to be sickly and had trouble moving, including a large number of romulan children). Once all the romulans had been sold, she was able to approach the cage that held the romulan slaves and collect her purchases – 15 romulan males and 8 females.   
The quartet of ferengi purchased the only three ferengi that came up for auction as well as a few humans and an elderly vulcan woman who had been kept in the same cage as the three ferengi.  
Bidding went into overdrive when a number of betazoids came up for auction. There were still quite a few cardassian, andorian and a few orion males in various cages, and, in a cage by himself, one enormous klingon – considerably larger than Pep – when the bajorans came up for auction. Tali Shae purchased five of the first sixteen bajorans. Pomm Irons was the last bajoran put up for auction. The two orion males who had also arrived from the Usotro bid competitively for Pomm, driving the price up to three bars of gold-pressed latinum before they ceded him to Tali Shae.

Tolon turned to speak to Dasare Eba and was surprised to hear her voice clearly in his mind. _Don’t say it… Think it_.  
_Get to the murder holes – you and Veri._ He didn’t have to indicate which wall – only picture it in his mind.

Tolon had spotted the ports high in one of the cavern walls that provided clear lines of fire throughout the cavern. He was certain there was a stairway or a ladder somewhere behind that wall along with at least one sniper to control any incidents. No weapons were allowed inside the cavern other than control modules for the pain/compliance implants on the neck of every slave. Tactical Specialists Dasare Eba and Veri Geki telepathically confirmed their understanding and made their way toward the wall.  
_This is going to end very badly. Ranni, you with me_. Tolon Reeves and Ranni Neivi lagged behind as Dr. Tali Shae, with Chief Rumi Grace in tow, headed up to the auction block to retrieve her purchases. Tolon wasn’t surprised when the two muscular orion males followed the doctor.   
_We’re being followed by orion slave-girls, real ones_, came Dasare’s voice into Tolon’s mind. _They have made us. This will become violent fast. Try to keep someone between you and the murder holes at all times_.

Tali made it to the auction block in front of the cage with the bajorans. The cage was still closed and locked. “Line up!” called the auctioneer. The giant orion male called on bidders, verified their payment, then signaled another orion male to release the identified bajorans from the cage into the custody of their buyers. Tali was already on guard – she was called up last.   
Following Damon Trock’s instructions, Tali (with only a slight feeling of disgust) gave oomachs to the talisman bearing Trock’s likeness (rubbing its ears) and spoke the amount and the auctioneer’s designation into the talisman.

“Bidder, what is your name?” The giant, green auctioneer had a warm, friendly voice, but his smile was forced.  
“Doctor Autti Shae of Andoria.”  
“Says here you are the personal physician to Emperor Sin IV. What are you doing so far from home?”  
“Purchasing bajorans,” Tali responded.  
“Your payment is approved and credited. Now tell me… Why?” asked the giant green auctioneer.  
“Their noses. They can track down one bad oroin in a full warehouse by smell alone,” answered Tali.  
“And why is the fat one worth 3 bars and 2 strips of gold-pressed latinum – more than twice what you paid for all the rest together?”  
“Fat bajorans have better noses.”  
The auctioneer’s voice became low and menacing. “You know I recognized you the moment you entered this room, Judge Tali Shae…” The green giant puffed up, emphasizing his size – which was accentuated by a large amount of blubber. “You don’t remember sending me to a prison near the south pole of Andoria, do you?”  
“Oh, I do remember you… But I was only a judge for three years. Most of my career has been…”  
“I’m going to enjoy putting you on the auction – HURKK!!”   
The giant’s eyes opened wide and he made a sound like a really bad, loud, extremely dry hiccough. Dr. Tali Shae had thrust her left hand deep into his flab on his right side.  
“…forensic medicine,” she continued, her voice equally low and menacing. “I have dissected enough of your kind to know that you have a secondary nerve cluster located just below the diaphragm on your right side. And if I twist it a little to the right, you will empty your bowls into your pants…” She twisted.  
“OOOHHHHH” The giant sounded like a steam whistle. The rest of the room suddenly went silent. All eyes focused on Tali Shae and the giant in front of her writhing in discomfort.  
“What a stink!” said Tali. “Okay poopy-britches, tell your friend down there to release the bajorans. They’re mine… Now or I’ll twist to the left and stop your lower heart..”  
“Let the bajorans out!” the giant bawled. “NOW!!!”

Another orion male standing just in front of the caged bajorans pressed a few controls on his control module, releasing the lock to the door of the cage. Pomm Irons started running before the lock was released, shoved two other prisoners out of his way and slammed the door into his giant green liberator. He followed the door around as it swung outward, pinning the giant between the door and the cage.   
Pomm was nowhere near as tall as the orion giants, but he was so immensely obese that he weighed more than most of them – that weight translated into momentum, hammering the giant so hard between the door and the cage that he lost consciousness. Pomm quickly swept up the control unit from the floor where the giant had dropped it and entered a few commands into it. The compliance implants on his neck and the necks of the other bajorans deactivated and fell to the floor.  
One of the large, muscular orions from the Usotro shoved Pomm against the cage, trapping the obese bajoran between his enormous green hand and the iron bars. “You are not getting away, fat one..”  
“My wife taught me a human saying,” said Pomm, almost pleasantly. “Monkey see…” he shoved his left hand deep into the orion’s right side - the exact place he had just seen Dr. Tali Shae use… Pomm’s voice dropped an octave and his face grew angry… “Monkey do!” He twisted hard both directions and giant, muscle-bound orion collapsed.   
“One of these days I’m going to have to get Oarama to tell me what a monkey is…”  
  


16.12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Krull  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Klingon  
Hometown/Homeworld: Zoe, Kronos  
Introduced: Episode 16.12  
Age when introduced: 29  
Role: Warrior


	91. Episode 16.13 - Slavers: The Market (Part 2 of 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos at the Slave Market...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 13: The Market (Part 2 of 2)

16.13  
The Market (Part 2 of 2)

Tali Shae pulled hard and stepped back. The auctioneer crashed to the floor. The other muscular orion from the Usotro took two steps toward her, then found Tolon Reeves hanging onto his back, the small wrestler’s left arm wrapped tightly around the giant’s neck, choking him. The muscular orion felt around for Tolon’s hand - grasped the ensign’s little finger and pulled hard, breaking the finger.   
“THAT HURT!!” Tolon shouted. He splayed the fingers of his right hand against the back of the giant’s bald head and pushed - his left arm tightening even more.   
In desperation, the giant grasped Tolon’s left hand, crushing it in his enormous hand. But he still couldn’t breathe and even as Tolon screamed, his left arm kept tightening until the giant dropped to his knees, then sagged to the floor, unconscious.

As dangerous as the gigantic orion males were, orion females, no larger than average size for human females, were far more dangerous. Trained dancers, they had tremendous strength and control in their legs and their art doubled as a martial art form with impressive kicks, emphasizing the power of their legs. But even four such fighters were no match for Rumi Grace and Ranni Neivi. The betazoid tactical specialists had developed blocks specifically against this martial art form. The orion slave-girls fought with elegance, grace, control and tremendous power.  
They were met with ferocious, unrelenting violent aggression. Rumi and Ranni kept close – in their opponents’ faces – striking with fists, knees and elbows, never allowing them the distance they needed for their kicking style to be effective. Following their krav maga training, they used their entire surroundings – any wall or tool was weaponized against the orion women.   
Ranni grabbed a fistful of her opponent’s hair and slammed the woman’s head into a pole. From behind, another of the green-skinned slave-girls returned the favor, grabbing a fistful of Ranni’s hair, only to be amazed as the implants easily pulled free out of Ranni’s scalp. Before the orion slave-girl could recover from the shock, Ranni whirled, closed and landed more than a dozen blows at close range before driving her opponent into a wall, grabbing the orion woman’s face with both hands and smacking her head sharply against the wall. The orion slid, senseless, to the floor, still clutching a fistful of Ranni’s hair implants.

Buyers and slaves ran panicked in every direction, some encountering resistance from other orions, but most just getting in one another’s way.  
Even as Tolon Reeves, Tali Shae, Ranni Neivi and Rumi Grace shook themselves free from their initial attackers, well over a dozen more of the green-skinned slavers – powerful giant orion males and disciplined orion slave-girl dancers – raced to engage the Hunter’s task force…

Into the midst of all this chaos, Pomm Irons released an enraged, giant klingon warrior.

Krull had no less than five compliance implants on his neck - and it took all of them to deliver enough pain to keep him subdued. Pomm had figured out how to disarm these and once they had fallen from Krull’s neck, Pomm got the cage door unlocked. He needn’t have bothered.

With a deafening, throaty howl of rage, Krull, considerably taller and heavier than even the giant David Pepper, ripped the cage door off its hinges and used it as a weapon, swatting giant orion males with it as if they were flies…

A few violent minutes later, the remaining orions were quickly and systematically stunned by phaser blasts from the ports Tolon had sent Dasare Eba and Veri Geki to capture. The two betazoid tactical specialists had evidently won their way to the ports and taken the phasers from the snipers hidden behind them.

Few who were not directly involved in the fighting remained to observe the aftermath. A majority of the buyers had made good their exit - some of them with the slaves they had purchased – others abandoning the slaves they had brought with them. What few orion slavers had not been felled by either Krull or the Hunter’s crew had also fled. Pomm Irons set about freeing the remaining slaves. He turned to Dr. Tali Shae.

“I hope your ship has sufficient space for all of these,” Pomm said, looking around.  
“How did you know the codes?” asked Tolon, indicating the slaver’s control module in Pomm’s hand. “Enter the wrong combination and you kill yourself - or the other slaves.”   
Pomm focused on Ensign Tolon’s mangled left hand: “Your hand!!”  
Tolon Reeves lifted his shattered left hand, looked at it in some confusion. “It registers as pain, but it doesn’t really hurt. I suppose I need to get that fixed.”  
Pomm kept staring at Tolon as if he had just met a madman.  
Reeves flopped his useless left hand almost comically, spraying dark red blood. “It’s a prosthetic.”  
“But… blood…”  
“Hydraulic fluid. Matched to the color and appearance of my blood. Imagine if I got a small cut and you saw my hand bleeding glowing purple goo?” Tolon pointed at the control module again. “So how did you know how to work that?”  
Pomm looked at the control module still in his hand. “I watched them. It was easy enough to figure out.” He pocketed the controller.

“Ahhh… Monkey see, monkey do…” said Reeves in his sing-song, Bangaloren accent.  
“Yeah… That… What’s a monkey?”  
Tolon lifted his left hand as if to explain: “It’s…” He got distracted by the mangled condition of his prosthetic hand… “It’s…”  
  
Pomm had already returned his attention to Tali Shae. “So how is this going to work?” He made a vague gesture at the large number of people in the room trying to organize themselves.  
“The romulan is coming with us,” Tali responded. “She keeps the romulans. I have no idea why she bought them and I don’t care. The ferengi are coming and they keep theirs. The kid with the nausicaans didn’t make any purchases. The orions that came with us stay here – they’re both unconscious...” Tali Shae looked at the motionless form of the orion who had assaulted Pomm. “Or dead… The rest of the slaves – including Krull here – they come with us. Damon Trock encouraged me to purchase more than just you. As far as I’m concerned, we just bought all of them. He’ll just have to find room for them until we can drop them off on Rigel IV - that’s the closest federation planet and there are Irons who live there. They can manage getting these people back to their families.”  
“I have to get a message to Minerva. Is she headed to the Badlands?” Pomm asked.  
“Yes. I will arrange for you to send it as soon as we board the Usotro,” said Tali.  
“Wise old Damon Trock,” said Pomm. “He’s amassed far more wealth than most ferengi. He learned how to work with my family. Follows the letter of the law. Doesn’t play stupid games. Cautious.”

16.13


	92. Episode 16.14 - Slavers: The Badlands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter is searching for two women in the vast expanse of the Badlands, when they receive a message from Pomm Irons. 
> 
> _“There is a reason the Maquis never used those flight suits to mount an attack,” Irons replied grimly. “They had a 50% failure rate. Half of the people who tried to use them either burned up in the atmosphere when the ablative part of the suit failed or plummeted to their deaths because the fixed wing failed to deploy completely – or flew off on its own. By those odds, my granddaughter and Pivin each had a 50/50 chance of reaching the surface of Vengeons-Roux alive..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The enormous Krull is one of Dr. David Pepper's best friends. One of my beta readers got to about Episode 6 and suddenly realized that Pep is, actually, Dr. Pepper. Since his doctorate is in literature specializing in Klingon poetry, it is primarily the klingons who call him Dr. Pepper.  
.  
I like the idea of using escape pods for something other than escape...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 14: The Badlands

16.14  
The Badlands

Ships in the Badlands typically left communication range within moments of entering the plasma fields. The walls and tornadoes of raging plasma storms interfered with communication. But with more than 400 probes launched from the U.S.S. Galaxy already coursing through the Badlands and hundreds more probes being manufactured and launched daily, signals could be relayed from the U.S.S. Hunter back to the Galaxy, on station just outside the Badlands.   
The Galaxy, an aging Galaxy class ship – the first and namesake of its class – was far too large to enter the Badlands. But with the recent refurbishment, it contained several factories and housed hundreds of workers who were now dedicated to building more probes. And they were needed.   
Orion slavers were still active inside the badlands and whenever one of their interceptors or their small marauder class ships encountered the probes, they would destroy them to avoid being tracked. In response, the Galaxy created a new class of hunter probe that, on encountering an orion ship or interceptor in the Badlands, would drop a signal buoy and then engage in a collision course with the orion vessel and detonate a small thermonuclear bomb against its hull. Since it was dangerous for ships to use shields in the plasma fields (shields tended to attract the blazing plasma) these bombs were extremely dangerous to the orion vessels even if they detonated within a few hundred meters.

The U.S.S. Hunter had been navigating the Badlands for two days. In order to better negotiate sometimes extremely narrow passages, the tactical unit was traveling separately from the platform, which reduced the Hunter’s platform unit’s height by a little more than two meters. The wagon and both interceptors were also deployed as these smaller vessels could thread through passages to investigate potential asteroids or look for derelict ships the two women might have found shelter on.   
In this process, the Hunter’s crew had rescued a small number of starving human, bajoran and romulan refugees, barely clinging to life aboard one derelict Maquis outpost or another. Many of these were badly weakened by prolonged exposure to low gravity and had to be housed in the individual brig units where the artificial gravity could be individually adjusted to allow them to gradually reacclimate to planetary level gravitation.

Lt. Cmdr. Mlady was in command when the U.S.S. Galaxy was finally able to relay a message from Pomm Irons – from nearly halfway across the Alpha Quadrant near the Rigel system. He was too far away for any attempt at real-time communication. Within moments of reviewing it in her office, Justice Minerva Irons ordered the message broadcast ship-wide.  
The senior staff (with the exception of Mlady) was gathered in the executive conference room. Irons watched Pomm’s message with them.

“Minerva, this is your grandson-in-law, Pomm. Your crew members rescued me and all are unharmed. We are en-route to Rigel IV. I am sending you a chart of the Badlands. This chart is out of date, but hopefully if you compare it to current mapping, you will be able to find a rogue planet named Vengeons-Roux that very few people know about. It was a secret Maquis base, but they abandoned it for logistical reasons. Oarama and I placed a number of supplies there. My wife and our passenger had Maquis flight suits. I launched them toward Vengeons-Roux. The planet is very isolated and there are no other bodies nearby. It is nearly impossible to get ships in and out of there – even interceptors. If they did not make it to the surface of the planet, they probably did not survive.  
“Years ago when my wife and I stocked our hideout on Vengeons-Roux we used escape pods and beamed from them down to the surface and back up so we could make it back to the Prophet Motive. I harnessed those escape pods to an asteroid in the Back 40. There are several thousand asteroids in that field, but only one of them has a specific mass of 808,616.829 kilograms. That includes the mass of the two pods.”  
“That should be all the information you need to find my wife and our guest. I have a request from a friend of Pep’s…”  
Pomm was suddenly shoved aside to be replaced by an enormous plate of chest armor. The camera was manually angled upward and a massive klingon face revealed.  
“Doctor Pepper!!! This is your collaborator and fellow poet Krull!!! Your friends won great honor in the cave of the green slavers!!! Especially the fat one here!!” There was a slap and some loud coughing that indicated the enormous klingon warrior had given Pomm an enthusiastic thump on the back.   
“Do not think for a moment this settles your debt of honor to me – it is not settled – I am now indebted to you, my friend!! And I will find a way to redeem my honor for allowing myself to be captured by those quvHa’ blHnuch! One more thing… This fat little bajoran has the voice of a mighty klingon warrior – I have never heard so fine a singer! And now, Pomm, my friend, let us sing!”

“Fade!” said Justice Irons just as the enormous klingon warrior and Pomm Irons began a surprisingly melodic, if quite raucous duet.  
“That was our song!” said Commander David Pepper. “Dive Into The Sun – we wrote that…”  
“Another time, David,” said Irons quietly. “Hunter?”  
The ship’s interactive holographic avatar appeared at the far end of the conference table.   
“What is the range of our escape pods?” Irons asked.  
“800,000 kilometers. A little over twice the distance from Earth to its moon,” Hunter replied.  
“And what is the range of the pod’s transporter?”  
“Just over 60,000 kilometers. Sufficient for geosynchronous orbit of most ‘M’ class worlds.”  
Irons nodded. “Can they be remotely piloted – or I should say, can a pilot in one pod bring another in tow?”  
“The latter would be more reliable,” Hunter said.  
“Kenneth,” Irons turned toward her director of flight operations. “Use all six sleeping/escape pods from the flight operation lounge and both pods from the medical lounge. Select four pilots to lead this mission. Each pilot will guide a pair of pods to Vengeons-Roux. If we are very, very lucky, one of our missing persons will have made it to the surface.”  
“Very, very lucky?” Dolphin queried.  
“There is a reason the Maquis never used those flight suits to mount an attack,” Irons replied grimly. “They had a 50% failure rate. Half of the people who tried to use them either burned up in the atmosphere when the ablative part of the suit failed or plummeted to their deaths because the fixed wing failed to deploy completely – or flew off on its own. By those odds, my granddaughter and Pivin each had a 50/50 chance of reaching the surface of Vengeons-Roux alive – assuming they made it to the planet in the first place. If you can’t find them alive, see if you can locate and bring back their remains.”

* _quvHa’ blHnuch!_(dishonored coward)

16.14


	93. Episode 16.15 - Slavers: Pod People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Lt. Commander Kenneth Dolphin and three of his pilots use eight of the U.S.S. Hunter's sleeping/escape pods to mount a rescue mission...
> 
> _Within a minute, Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin and Ensign Phillips had beamed into the meadow that Oarama and Pivin had landed in. A number of ferocious looking quadrupeds with purple fur immediately scattered on their arrival, only to lurk in the tree line, watching curiously._  
_“Looks like they’re afraid of bipeds,” Phillips observed._  
_Dolphin picked up one of the abandoned fixed wings from a flight suit. “We’re not alone,” he said..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I enjoy repeating dialogue from earlier sequences. It is a fun trope - especially when the dialogue is repeated by different characters who did not hear those lines spoken the first time.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 15: Pod People

16.15  
Pod People

It took the U.S.S. Hunter another seven hours to locate Vengeons-Roux and maneuver into position to mount a rescue. It took Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin about that much time to prepare his pilots and the required sleeping/escape pods for the venture. He took out the lead pod with Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar, Ensign Ethan Phillips and 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor each piloting a pod. Each pilot brought a second pod in tow using tandem control protocols (causing each unoccupied pod to follow the exact path of its lead pod rather than simultaneously making the same maneuvers.)  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri and Chief Thyssi zh’Qaoleq were covering the daisy-chain of escape pods with the two interceptors and Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth was providing backup support along with 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui and Transporter Engineer K’rok in the wagon. Guth ended up having to park the wagon outside a plasma wall that was too dense to risk the wagon, but which provided ports through which the smaller craft could travel. Only a few hundred kilometers further in, Dih and zh’Qaoleq had to bring their interceptors to station keeping. They could catch glimpses of the planet through the plasma storm, but the momentary eddies of instability left few opportunities for the pods to enter and none for the interceptors.  
Dolphin, in the lead pod, was the first one through. He waited until all eight pods were in geosynchronous orbit.

“Gaia, I’m leaving you in charge up here with Winnie. Ethan, please beam down with me.”

Within a minute, Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin and Ensign Phillips had beamed into the meadow that Oarama and Pivin had landed in. A number of ferocious looking quadrupeds with purple fur immediately scattered on their arrival, only to lurk in the tree line, watching curiously.  
“Looks like they’re afraid of bipeds,” Phillips observed.  
Dolphin picked up one of the abandoned fixed wings from a flight suit. “We’re not alone,” he said.  
“I found the other one over here,” Phillips called. He removed a small device from the wing. “These emergency transponders are almost out of power. I’m surprised the pod’s sensors were sensitive enough to pick these up. Especially in this magnetosphere.”  
“We have a clear trail at least to the tree line,” Dolphin replied. He set the wing down and hoisted a backpack, settling it firmly on his back. “Gear up.”  
“Did we really need to bring two sets of these?” Phillips asked as he hoisted a similar backpack.  
Dolphin unslung his phaser rifle, checked the settings. “What are you complaining about, Ensign? If we only had one set of these I’d be making you carry it anyway…”  
“Ignore me, sir, I didn’t say anything. That was just my big lips flapping in the wind…”  
“Survivors of the B.R. Prophet Motive, this is Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Dolphin of the U.S.S. Hunter. This is a rescue. If you can read this message, please respond. End transmission and rebroadcast on all relevant frequencies,” Dolphin said.   
“Confirmed,” came the audible reply from the communicator embedded in his chest. 

After a few hundred meters into the trees, the trail quickly went cold, leaving Dolphin and Phillips searching about on the hard, bare forest floor for any sign of the women’s passage.   
“I’m no tracker,” Dolphin said. “I’m starting to wish I had brought Investigator Buttans along…”  
“Tired of my company already, sir?”   
“I didn’t say anything, Ethan. Just my lips flapping…”  
“Maybe try calling again?” Phillips suggested.  
“Transmission status?” Dolphin asked. Phillips could barely hear the communicator embedded in Dolphin’s chest reporting audibly to him. “My communicator is continuing to rebroadcast my call out to them. It’s rotating frequencies. It can punch a signal a little further in this magnetosphere by focusing on one frequency at a time rather than broadcasting the message over all frequencies at once.”  
“Kenny – I think I found something over here,” said Phillips.  
Dolphin walked over to look. About 6” from the base of a tree, the ground had been gouged, leaving a trough roughly 2” wide and about 8” long.  
“Breadcrumbs?” Phillips asked.  
“I’m going to stand here so you can see where this one is,” Dolphin said. He pointed with his phaser rifle. “Go in a straight line, more or less, and wave if you find another one.”  
Only a few dozen meters, Phillips stopped, turned to Dolphin and waved with his phaser rifle. Dolphin moved forward to join him and looked at the next gouge.  
“Breadcrumbs.” Dolphin said. “End transmission and monitor all frequencies for reply.”  
Phillips could barely hear the communicator in Dolphin’s chest responding, “Confirmed.”  
“Who needs Buttans Ngumbo? I have an Ethan Phillips... Good work, Ensign.”

Dolphin and Phillips continued following the trail. Through the trees, they could see the wolf-like quadrupeds tracking them at a distance – then their lupine escort suddenly melted away. Phillips put up a fist and both he and Dolphin brought up their phaser rifles.   
“Ethan?” came a voice from the trees nearby.  
“Oarama?” Phillips responded.  
Oarama Irons stepped into the open and lowered her phaser.  
Phillips and Dolphin stepped out into the clear, phasers still raised.  
“You are Lieutenant Commander Dolphin?” Oarama asked.  
“And you are Oarama Irons. I am very glad to see you alive,” Dolphin replied. “Is your companion here?”  
“She is. We encountered a small group of refugees. One of them has died since we got here. Can you transport the rest of them out too?”  
“How many, including you and your friend?” asked Dolphin.  
“Eleven, all told, but two are very small children and another is a small boy,” Oarama replied.  
“We had anticipated that possibility,” Dolphin said. “We can do it in one trip, but the children will have to be sedated. The boy, too.”

Oarama led Dolphin and Phillips to the encampment, but had them wait in the trees until she talked to the elders in the camp. The elderly romulans were quite nervous when they saw the two men in black Star Fleet JAG uniforms walking into their camp. Dolphin handed his backpack to Phillips.  
Dolphin addressed the romulans. “I know you are hesitant about being rescued by Star Fleet. But no one else will be coming to rescue you. So you can come with me, or you can remain here. I am Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Dolphin of the U.S.S. Hunter. Behind me, Ensign Ethan Phillips is setting up two pattern enhancement stations. We will need the pattern enhancers to strengthen the signal so we can be beamed up.   
“I have eight escape pods in geosynchronous orbit more or less directly above us. Each pod can carry two people. The young children will need to be sedated as they will be riding with our pilots in control pods and I will not risk the lives of my people on the possibility that one of the children might inadvertently come into contact with a control panel.” Dolphin handed a hyposyringe to Pivin. “I have set this to deliver 2 cc’s of Vsed, which is a safe amount for romulan children.” He turned to the elders. “One of you must calm the children so that Pivin can administer the sedative.” Dolphin pointed at the young romulan boy – a few years older than the two youngest children. “You first so they know you are not afraid. Then they will not be afraid.”   
The boy looked briefly at the older boy (now very much one of Pivin’s followers), who nodded slowly. He walked up to Pivin and allowed her to administer the sedative. Pivin caught him as he lost consciousness and carried him to one of the sets of pattern enhancers.

“Winnie,” called Dolphin. “You’re going to have a sleepy passenger. Beam him up.” The next child was beamed up to Gaia Gamor’s pod. Then Ethan Phillips took the youngest child in his arms and beamed up. The oldest boy, the elderly romulans and Oarama were beamed up by twos into the vacant follow-pods until only Pivin and Dolphin were left.

“I have not heard your name before, Kenneth Dolphin,” Pivin said. “How long have you traveled with Minerva Irons?”  
“A little over a year,” Dolphin replied. “I understand you met with her recently in Vulcan space. I was on Earth at the time.”  
Pivin briefly laid her hand against Dolphin’s face. “Romulans are not as telepathically sensitive as vulcans are, but you project a very strong sense of confidence. The kind of confidence that makes people believe you. The kind of confidence that makes people believe in you. The kind of confidence that people will follow in large numbers and with great loyalty. I have only ever sensed this in people whose consciences are clean. Those people come in two kinds, Kenneth Dolphin…”  
Dolphin had disassembled one of the sets of pattern enhancers, folding the tripods until they could be stored in Ethan’s backpack. He handed the backpack to Pivin, ushered her into the pattern enhancement field of the remaining set of pattern enhancers.  
“And what would those two types be?” he asked.  
Just as the transporter cycle started to take her up to the remaining vacant follow-pod, Pivin responded: “Heroes and monsters, Kenneth Dolphin, heroes and monsters. Which are you?” she asked as she vanished in a brightly colored haze of lights.

16.15


	94. Episode 16.16 - Slavers: The Second Battle for Pillo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
As the U.S.S. Hunter's first and second officers are listening to the thrilling tale of how Rear Admiral Chekov won the Second Battle for Pillo, they realize something has gone horribly wrong...
> 
> _“…only four casualties. Four! And we got the entire… Nausicaan… Collective…” Abrams slowed down as she realized that something in her news was seriously worrying to the Hunter’s leadership._   
_“Commander Pepper,” said Lt. McNeill. “What is it?”_  
_“You said 60 vulcan long-range interceptors?” asked Lt. T’Lon..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Again, I am looking for new ways to explain space battles. I don't have to put you in the middle of the thrilling action when larger strategy is actually the point of the story...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 16: The Second Battle for Pillo

16.16  
The Second Battle for Pillo

“Old Possum-Chicken won another one.” The gabby Lieutenant Commander in the blue uniform was part of the U.S.S. Galaxy’s medical department.   
“You served with him?” asked Lt. Cmdr. Mlady.  
“Let her talk!” said Commander David Pepper. “Let her talk! Come on, I want to hear about this…”

Several of the U.S.S. Hunter’s crew members had joined a large number of officers from the U.S.S. Galaxy on the newly opened Observation Deck – a combination of what had previously been 10-Forward with the arboretum. This expanded community area combined the 10-Forward bar with an enormous open space in the middle of the Galaxy that took up two decks and rivaled the Promenade on Deep Space 9 for an airy feeling in the middle of an enormous spaceship. An open deck with safety railing allowed passengers and crew to look down into the arboretum, from which large trees grew up and had yet another opening into the deck above to stretch their canopies, which could be viewed from balconies attached to the executive and ambassador staterooms.  
The old Galaxy class ships had been designed to last (with retrofits) for at least 70 years and with the most recent retrofits, which included miniaturization of thousands of the ships systems, dramatically increased the available deck space on a ship that was originally designed to be a spacious, self-sufficient floating city in space. The impact of this enormous interior space, from which on several sides outer space could be viewed through a variety of windows and viewscreens, was simply stunning. Even with all this open space in the center of the ship, improvements in materials technology, area design, emergency bulkheads and safety procedures made the old Galaxy class cruisers far more resilient, sturdier and much safer to serve on then they had been nearly 30 years ago when they were first launched.

“We watched it on the view screens,” gushed Lt. Cmdr. Stacy Abrams. “Star Fleet Operations had information that the Nausicaan Collective wanted to make another play to take control of Pillo. So Rear Admiral Chekov deliberately left only two Prowler class ships to guard the system. The Nausicaans respect those new Prowlers – since your Lieutenant Dolphin…”  
“Lieutenant Commander Dolphin,” 2nd Lt. T’Lon corrected.  
“Oh… really? Cool!” said Abrams. “Lieutenant Commander Dolphin cleaned their plate with just the Hunter’s tactical unit up against three of their heavy cruisers.”  
“So Chekov probably figured they would still try for Pillo as long as they thought they would only have the U.S.S. Prowler and the U.S.S. Trapper to face, along with maybe a dozen of the old short-range interceptors,” added a lieutenant in a red uniform.  
“Of course he figured it out, Anton!” Abrams said. “He knew that would make them commit everything to the battle, especially with Possum-Chicken using the Milky Way to tow the Intrepid all the way back to Starbase 86 and the Victory stopped at Coridan for major repairs – they said it wasn’t even safe to travel at warp 3 because it was so badly damaged at the Battle of Coridan Corridor…”  
“The Nausicaan Collective should have expected it… They walked right into the same trap he had just set for the orions,” said the lieutenant named Anton.  
“He had the Intrepid play wounded bird with the orions. I think he was playing “wounded flock” with the nausicaans,” Abrams continued. “They committed their heavy interceptors and found that the Prowler and the Trapper were really effective against them. They were using some strange new configuration called the Quack Attack??”  
This drew an unexpected laugh from the several Hunter crew members at the table.  
“Please allow me to introduce Chief Flight Specialists Thyssi zh’Qaoleq and Dewayne Guth,” said Pep. “They’re the pilots who designed the Quack attack…”  
“No way!” said Abrams. “Okay – I saw it in action – really impressive – that was you two? Why did you call it the Quack attack?”  
“That was Kenny’s idea,” said Guth.  
“You call him Kenny?” Abrams asked.   
“Most people refer to him as Doctor Dolphin,” Guth responded.  
“Okay… Well… So since their interceptors were getting torn up, the nausicaans committed their heavy cruisers – all three of them. And apparently they had learned their lesson from the last time they faced a Prowler class ship. The cruisers came in from three different angles so that no one could pull the Dolphin maneuver on them.”  
“She doesn’t even know what the Dolphin maneuver is,” said the red-suited lieutenant.   
“Neither do you,” Abrams retorted.  
“Neither does anybody, it’s classified.”  
“But it involved the cruisers being in tight formation. Anyway so the Trapper and the Prowler are in serious trouble, but then the Ravonnelle shows up and sends one of those heavy cruisers into a tailspin. Makes me really glad your people are on our side.” Abrams lifted her glass to Thyssi zh’Qaoleq. “Those andorian phasers cut through the nausicaan shields like butter…”  
“Like a knife through butter,” said Anton. “Have another drink, Stacy…”  
“Buy one for me, Lt. McNeill.” Lt. Commander Stacy Abrams huffed up a little.   
Lt. Anton McNeill rolled his eyes, then gamely walked off to the bar.  
“So the nausicaans, they commit everything. Nearly 40 more heavy interceptors, 5 heavy destroyers and 9 marauders. That’s when the vulcans showed up. 60 long range interceptors. And Chekov threw in everything and the kitchen sink. The Bellerophon, the Valiant, oh – thank you Anton!” Lt. Cmdr. Abrams said as Lt. McNeill returned with a beer for her (and another for himself).  
She picked up the narrative before anyone could interrupt, not even bothering to take a drink: “The Vox, the Enterprise, the Ajax, the Eagle, the Hornet, the Monitor, the Thor, the Musashi, the San Francisco and then, just to top it off, the Victory and the kHov Bome – both fully repaired, the Nome and the Milky Way. The Nausicaans surrendered all their ships while Rear Admiral Chekov was still warping in…”   
Abrams did not notice how the officers from the Hunter started to display more serious expressions as she rattled off ship names. Lt. T’Lon, Lt. Cmdr. Mlady and Cmdr. Pepper exchanged significant looks.  
“…only four casualties. Four! And we got the entire… Nausicaan… Collective…” Abrams slowed down as she realized that something in her news was seriously worrying to the Hunter’s leadership.   
“Commander Pepper,” said Lt. McNeill. “What is it?”  
“You said 60 vulcan long-range interceptors?” asked Lt. T’Lon.  
“Yes – it must have taken a couple of days for them to warp from Vulcan to Pillo,” Abrams said.

Pep and Mlady both stood up and turned as if to leave.   
At that moment the comm system on the U.S.S. Galaxy came alive: “This is Captain Janet Duncan of the U.S.S. Galaxy…” Captain Duncan had a strong Scottish brogue.  
“And this is Captain Minerva Irons of the U.S.S. Hunter.” Justice Irons sounded more upset than any of her crew had ever heard her.

Captain Duncan spoke again, her voice emotional and her usually thick Scottish accent occasionally opaque: “To all crew and passengers aboard the U.S.S. Galaxy and the U.S.S. Hunter and to all persons within range of this transmission on all subspace frequencies, it is with great sadness that I have to inform you that our greatest contributor to science, especially the science of spaceflight, and Earth’s first interstellar ally, one of the 19 charter worlds of the Federation, the planet Vulcan… has fallen.   
“I also must report to you that Vice Admiral Senvol ordered the evacuation and self-destruction of Starbase 18 along with all ship-building infrastructure. Admiral Senvol and a security detail of 200 Star Fleet personnel remained onboard to prevent the station and gantries from being taken and all of these personnel gave their lives in the line of duty. To our knowledge, there were no other casualties. A comprehensive list will be released once all casualties are accounted for and the families notified. The Federation Council has sent a delegation to meet with the Romulan Imperial Senate to negotiate formal terms of surrender…”

16.16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Lieutenant Commander Stacy Abrams (Stacy)  
Human Ethnicity: English American  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: New Eden, Mars  
Introduced: Episode 16.16  
Age when introduced: 27  
Role: Surgeon, U.S.S. Galaxy
> 
> Character: Lieutenant Anton McNiel (Anton)  
Human Ethnicity: Irish  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Dublin, Ireland  
Introduced: Episode 16.16  
Age when introduced: 25  
Role: Navigation Team Leader, U.S.S. Galaxy
> 
> Character: Captain Janet Duncan (Jan)  
Human Ethnicity: Scottish  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: Trantor, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 16.16  
Age when introduced: 44  
Role: Captain, U.S.S. Galaxy


	95. Episode 16.17 - Slavers: 2 Romulas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons spends time with Pivin the Betrayer and learns some very important information about romulan culture.
> 
> _“For centuries there has been a rift between the Senate and the Navy.” Pivin was reclining on the couch in Irons’ quarters. Justice Minerva Irons was laid back in her lounge chair, eyes closed, just resting. But the older romulan woman knew Irons was listening. She continued. “It had gotten to the point that just before Romulus was destroyed in the Hobus event, the Naval Supreme Command were beginning to openly discuss recovering the Imperial Scepter and establishing a new emperor. There hasn’t been one in more than a thousand years..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I particularly enjoy writing scenes with two old women sitting around gossiping...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 17: 2 Romulas

16.17  
2 Romulas

The fall of Vulcan had cast a pall over everyone on the U.S.S. Hunter. Most buried themselves in their daily tasks. Without any immediate assignment, the Hunter, traveling next to (and completely dwarfed by) the U.S.S. Galaxy, patrolled the border of the Badlands. News of the secession of Cimera III from the Andorian Empire and the declaration of martial law in the Andorian colonies on Alrond and Beta Prime made everyone realize how fragile the United Federation of Planets actually was and had been all along. More than two hundred species had joined the Federation primarily to shelter under the powerful three-way military alliance of the Vulcan High Command, the Andorian Empire and Star Fleet - which, while actively recruiting and open to all Federation members and even ex-patriots of other civilizations, remained an overwhelmingly human endeavor.   
With Vulcan captured by the Romulan Senate and the Andorian Empire embroiled in civil war, more than ever, tens of billions of non-humans were now almost exclusively dependent on Earth for protection - only to find themselves terrified of deep divisions within human populations about the use of so much of the resources of Earth and itsmany colonies to protect not only space-faring allies, but dozens of planets with pre-warp indigenous civilizations that were completely ignorant of humanity or the many threats by other species that their unknown human benefactors had been protecting them from for centuries.

Oarama Irons had taken a transport to Cun Ling, where a new spaceship had been purchased for her. Pomm was to meet her in Ba Sing Se. Pivin remained aboard the Hunter and was staying with Justice Minerva Irons in the captain’s stateroom. The elderly romulan woman was surprised to find herself comforted by sleeping in the bed of a Star Fleet captain. She and Irons used the bed at different times, maintaining different sleep schedules. But both women were elderly and it was not uncommon for them to share the bed while napping. Irons had always been a recluse on her own ship and spent most of her time in her quarters or her office. This threw her and Pivin, who simply never left the stateroom at all, together for most of each day.  
They avoided talking about the fall of Vulcan with one exception. Pivin made note that it was the Romulan Imperial Senate Praetorian Guard and not the Romulan Star Navy that had taken Vulcan. Star Fleet Intelligence had identified every one of the 39 Romulan War Birds that had appeared in orbit of Vulcan and Pivin was able to verify that these represented the bulk of the Praetorian Guard, leaving only four of their War Birds unaccounted for.

“For centuries there has been a rift between the Senate and the Navy.” Pivin was reclining on the couch in Irons’ quarters. Justice Minerva Irons was laid back in her lounge chair, eyes closed, just resting. But the older romulan woman knew Irons was listening. She continued. “It had gotten to the point that just before Romulus was destroyed in the Hobus event, the Naval Supreme Command were beginning to openly discuss recovering the Imperial Scepter and establishing a new emperor. There hasn’t been one in more than a thousand years. What most outsiders failed to realize about the Romulan Star Empire - and because we all went to great length to hide it - was that there were really two romulan cultures. A militaristic culture in the Romulan Star Navy that controlled the colonies and most of the empire, but the Senate, popularly elected, that controlled the heart of romulan culture - Romulus itself.”  
“And the Praetorian Guard answers to the Senate,” Irons said. She sat up and poured a shot of a dark, syrupy kanar for her guest. Another for herself. The strong cardassian beverage gave off a pungent, sour, alcoholic aroma.  
“Always has,” said Pivin, accepting the shot glass. She savored the pungent smell of the beverage, then set it down without drinking it.  
“So if there wasn’t a Romulus to popularly elect them - most of the populace of Romulus killed in the Hobus event…” Irons started.  
“The Senate was homeless and losing support. The colonial romulans, who had been heavily taxed to keep the senators popular at home - were refusing to support the Senate,” Pivin concluded.  
“So the Imperial Senate desperately needed a new homeworld,” said Irons. She drained her glass - it took a moment for the thick fluid to drip into her mouth.  
“And they had been fixated on Vulcan for more than 400 years,” Pivin said. “After Romulus was destroyed, there really was no potential new homeworld within the empire. Whatever colony they landed at quickly became hostile to them and the Romulan Star Navy kept the Praetorian Guard from taking over any of the colonies. So the Senate really had nowhere to go…”  
“Nowhere, but Vulcan,” Irons concluded. She poured herself another shot of kanar.

Pivin took a deep breath. “They are going to bring the survivors of Romulus to Vulcan. It won’t be long before there are two billion romulans on Vulcan. And the Romulan Star Navy will help move them there, just to get them out of the colonies. That has been the real disaster going on in the empire - trying to resettle 2 billion refugees from Romulus when none of the colonies wanted them. And the Senate wasn’t about to let them get dispersed - that population was all that was left of their power base…”

16.17


	96. Episode 16.18 - Slavers: The Solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The great mathematician, Sir Geoffrey Horatio Alstars, has been given a mathematical conundrum. And he's cracked it. But he has no idea how...
> 
> _“Graffiti,” he grumbled. “Modern art… Insanity… I don’t need tea… I need a straight jacket.” Alstars chuckled grimly. “I have loaded a bushel of numerals into a trebuchet and launched them into space…” He raised his hands and his voice. “Hunter get ri..”_  
_“STOP THAT!!!” came an unfamiliar voice. Alstars couldn’t make out who had shouted through the equations - he could see part of a uniform. Someone short - but everyone was short around here - with a few notable exceptions. Alstars stepped to the side so he could see around his cluttered clear boards._  
_“Lieutenant Tauk?” Alstars asked..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Getting comedy out of mathematics is a bit arcane...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 18: The Solution

16.18  
The Solution

Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars had called for three holographic clear dry-erase boards in the engineering conference room. But he had, for the moment, given up working on his recursive warp equations. Instead, he was walking from one board to the next, randomly writing numbers and bits of equations in random places among the three boards. This was his long established method for clearing his mind and he thought of it as more of an art form than any disciplined attempt at mathematics.  
He strode back and forth on his long legs, writing randomly on each board with both hands. Sometimes simultaneously, stretching his arms wide, sometimes with his eyes closed. As more and more numbers and operands and other figures appeared on the clear boards, equations started to run into each other, up and over each other, down and under, wandering off at diagonals. Alstars didn’t care. He was just scrawling.   
After nearly an hour of this, he stepped back to scowl at his creation.

“Graffiti,” he grumbled. “Modern art… Insanity… I don’t need tea… I need a straight jacket.” Alstars chuckled grimly. “I have loaded a bushel of numerals into a trebuchet and launched them into space…” He raised his hands and his voice. “Hunter get ri..”  
“STOP THAT!!!” came an unfamiliar voice. Alstars couldn’t make out who had shouted through the equations - he could see part of a uniform. Someone short - but everyone was short around here - with a few notable exceptions. Alstars stepped to the side so he could see around his cluttered clear boards.  
“Lieutenant Tauk?” Alstars asked, surprised to see the ferengi director of ground operations in engineering.  
“Come here, Ensign,” Tauk ordered.  
Alstars loped over to join Tauk. He had joined Star Fleet for new experiences and being ordered about by a ferengi about 2/3 his height and more than three times younger than him certainly counted as a new experience.  
“Look,” said Tauk, gesturing toward the cluttered clear dry-erase boards.   
“We’re looking at it from the back. It was gibberish when I was looking at it from the front. It even has a couple of nonsense symbols…”  
“Base twelve,” said Tauk.  
“What? No! It’s just nonsense. I was just grabbing numbers and symbols out of a bag and throwing them at the board,” Alstars responded.   
Tauk walked up to the clear boards. He pointed at a symbol that looked vaguely like a house with a caved in roof. “Ten.” He pointed to another symbol that looked vaguely like a butterfly with a knife jabbed through it. “Eleven. Then the 1 followed by the 0 is twelve.” He stepped back to stand next to the towering mathematician.   
“No, that’s nuts, we use the letter A for ten and the letter B for eleven…”  
“You humans do. Vulcans use those symbols,” said Tauk.  
For a moment, both mathematicians just stared at the backside of the clear boards, viewing all of Alstars mathematical doodling in reverse.

2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui’s voice drifted down to them from deck one: “Tommy, have you seen Geoff?”  
From somewhere on the other side of the engineering deck, Thomas Hobbs could be heard: “Over there, by the conference room.”  
“Thanks Tommy. Geoff, would you mind…”  
“Hui,” said Alstars, “Come, come come here. Have, have a look at this would you please?”  
Lt. Sun walked to the back of deck one, ducked into the ladder and slid down the ladder like a fire pole. Alstars had finally adjusted to this breach of safety protocols because everyone in engineering (at least those under the age of 50) did it endlessly. He had given up trying to discourage Yolanda Thomas and Kerry Gibbon from doing it when their department director and assistant director did it all the time.  
Sun, only a few inches taller than Tauk, easily more than a foot shorter than Alstars, stepped over and stood on the other side of Alstars from Tauk. After staring with them at the back of the clear boards, he turned and shouted up to deck 2: “Salek!!”  
The engineering director, Lt. Moon Sun Salek, stepped out of the navigation/deflector control room at the front of deck 2 and looked down over the railing to the main engineering deck, two decks below. “You don’t have to shout, Hui - it came through my communicator…”  
“Salek,” said Sun, “would you come down here and look at this, please? Bring Gaia with you.”  
Dr. Moon turned to the still open door into navigation/deflector control and said, “Gaia, Hui wants us on the floor.” She straddled the ladder and slid down straight through the access for deck one to the main engineering floor, followed by 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor, who climbed down the traditional way almost as quickly. They walked over to the other officers and stood next to 2nd Lt. Sun.   
After a minute of gazing at the jumble of numbers and operands in reverse from the backside of the clear boards, Dr. Moon called for the ship’s interactive holographic avatar: “Hunter…”  
The holographic old man appeared next to her.

For another few minutes, six mathematicians stood in a row, just looking at the pile of equations, most of them fragments, from behind. Dr. Sun, Dr. Alstars, Dr. Tauk, Dr. Gamor and Dr. Moon, almost in unison, slowly tilted their heads to the left at a 45 degree angle. Hunter, on noticing this odd behavior, mimicked it a few moments later.

“Hunter,” said Dr. Moon, “what are we looking at?”  
“A set of interrelated, interactive equations expressed in base 12,” the pudgy, elderly-looking avatar replied.  
“Actually,” Hunter continued, “Unless I’m mistaken, I think it’s…”  
Alstars finished his sentence: “The solution. Give me another clear board…”  
Another holographic clear dry-erase board appeared between the mathematicians and the original sets of equations. With one great stride of his long legs, Dr. Alstars stepped forward. He held out his left hand: “Marker…”   
A holographic marker appeared in the old mathematician’s hand. He quickly and deftly sketched out a very simple equation in base 12.  
“That’s it!” said Hunter. “That’s what I’ve been trying to come up with all year! We can run controlled tests to confirm, but if you’re right…”  
“We can safely get the entire Prowler class of ships, all 46 of them, into recursive warp without needing artificial intelligence,” said Dr. Moon. “And just when we have never needed a critical strategic advantage more…”  
“But it’s such a simple equation…” Dr. Sun objected.   
“Elegant,” said Tauk, “simple in terms, but nearly impossible to come by. It took all that,” he waved his hand at the gibberish they had all been looking at, “all that and more to bring this epiphany to Dr. Alstars. Hundreds of thousands, probably millions of mathematicians have been looking for this simple equation and didn’t find it.”  
“Most of those mathematicians weren’t working in base 12,” Dr. Sun observed.  
“I didn’t know I was working in base 12 until Tauk pointed it out,” said Alstars.  
Gaia Gamor turned toward Dr. Moon. “Weren’t all those math equations we found in the library of the progenitors in base 12?”

Moon turned toward Alstars. “Geoff, do me a favor…”  
“Sure,” said Alstars. “What?”  
“You know those math treatises that Dr. Carrera downloaded from the library of the progenitors?”  
“Yes?”  
“Don’t ever read them. You’re easily as smart as Sarekson and I don’t want you to wander off at a right angle to reality and vanish on me. I’d like to keep you around for awhile…”

16.18


	97. Episode 16.19 - Slavers: A Voice In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons finally receives new orders from the Director of Section 31. Even when you are friends with the Director of Section 31, such conversations are not always pleasant...
> 
> _Irons found herself unable to answer. She did not have a mouth..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Oh what a monster Julian Bashir has become... He took down Slade and then became something worse...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 16: Slavers  
Scene 19: A Voice in the Dark

16.19  
A Voice in the Dark

Justice Minerva Irons had fallen asleep in the armchair in her quarters. Two empty bottles of kanar and two shot glasses were on the table in front of her - one empty, the other, Pivin’s glass, untouched from when she had set it down earlier.  
Irons' head was moving slightly. It was a deep, unsettling sleep. Somehow she was aware that Pivin had gone to bed. She wanted to wake up. Was trying desperately to wake up. But she was dream locked. Her armchair was so comfortable, but the rest of her room was so far away - so far away in the darkness that she could not see any of it. Just the table next to her with a carafe of ice water and two tumblers and another armchair, just like hers, set at a 90 degree angle.

“I don’t think my next guest needs a long introduction,” said the Director of Section 31 in his polished British accent. “Here at Subspace Radio Bashir, I have been simply inundated with a request to interview At Large Appellate Justice Minerva Irons, a remarkable woman who has returned to service at the helm of a starship as a Star Fleet Captain no less than four times to avoid the many expectations her family has placed on her as matriarch of the enormous and fabulously wealthy and powerful Irons family. Minerva has published a number of treatises on the finer points of pre-First Contact Earth law from several cultures, particularly that of the People’s Republic of China as well as Vulcan law and several in-depth studies of the finer points of Andorian law. She has also published a history of the United Federation of Planets that, like all of her other works, misses some of the most interesting aspects of Federation history.”  
“Justice Irons is also responsible for missions on assignment for Section 31, the most secret organization in the Alpha Quadrant. An organization so secret that the only two klingons who have ever heard of it served as members and died in service to Section 31. So, Minerva, and I call you Minerva because we have been friends as well as co-conspirators for more than a decade, why do you think I have not trusted you with the most important operation in the history of Section 31?”

Irons found herself unable to answer. She did not have a mouth.

“That’s right!” said Chief Justice Julian Bashir. “You are too personally invested. Your loyalties are conflicted. You serve Star Fleet. You serve the Tribunal. You serve the Federation. All of that, you might be able to set aside with the understanding that Section 31 also serves all those things, but we must occasionally - far more often than we want, we must make great sacrifices and it is Star Fleet, the Tribunal, the Federation, even occasionally the sacred innocents we protect in their pre-warp ignorance - sometimes we must sacrifice them too for the longer range interests of our charter. To preserve Federation culture - not the culture of Earth or of Vulcan or of Andor - those may have to be sacrificed too… no, the culture of the Federation itself that made the grand alliance of Earth, Vulcan and Andor - and all the other worlds who shelter under their power - possible.”  
“So, Minerva, I am using this method of communication to give you instructions. I know you have languished in ignorance of our greatest and most significant endeavor. Now that it has been accomplished, you can contribute to it. But to do so, you must understand that your highest duty is to Section 31. Not Star Fleet. Not the Tribunal. Not the Federation. And not the Irons family. You may be required to sacrifice any or all of those things. Believe me, I have sacrificed. I have sent thousands of people to their deaths. I have withdrawn shelter from the innocents and seen them taken as slaves, ripped from their safe worlds, used as biological resources. I have allowed them to die in slavery and torment by the hundreds of thousands. Can you do the same?”  
“Here are your assignments,” Bashir continued. “You must keep Vulcan in the Federation - with new council representatives to be provided by the Imperial Romulan Senate. You must help the Romulan Star Navy to rip a world full of innocents from their homes. Not some of them - all of them. You must set a world on fire, consigning all life on it to death. And you must save another world full of enslaved innocents and bring them from that place to a new home where they will still be slaves. To do that, you must violate not only the Prime Directive - and egregiously... To get these people to give up their homeworlds to be brought into what amounts to a lifetime of servitude, you must violate the First Commandment. You must give them not just a god, but a monster. Now you may speak…”  
“MMMmmmm, mmmMMmmMMM, mmmMMmMMMMHHH!” Irons moaned in a mixture of anguish, rage and terror - she still did not have a mouth.  
“Oh, sorry about that,” said Bashir. He waved his hand and suddenly she had a mouth.  
“Is this real? Or is this a dream?”  
“Of course this is a dream, Minerva! But what in all the Milky Way makes you think for even a second that this is not real?”

16 – Slavers


	98. Episode 17.1 - Terms of Surrender: Sela

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
You might remember Sela from Next Generation. She is back and she has clawed her way to the top of the Romulan Star Navy. As Supreme Commander, the capture of Vulcan is a crowning achievement. And uneasy is the head upon which the crown sits...
> 
> _“That’s because they have no intention of retaking Vulcan!” Sela exclaimed. “Ah, this hurts my head! What are they up to??"_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
One of my readers in a comment asked if I was planning to use Sela. Well, I hadn't thought about it until she suggested it... And boy am I glad she did. Sela just pulls everything together for me.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 1: Sela

17.1  
Sela

“That was too easy… Far too easy…”  
Sela stood out - a blonde romulan among a people who were exclusively dark-haired. Her blonde hair came from her human mother, Lieutenant Tasha Yar of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Sela had not been in the vanguard or even the first wave of migrants to Vulcan. She knew well when to lead from in front. The seizure of Vulcan was a time to lead from behind. While it was a priority for the Romulan Star Navy, neither she nor anyone else in the navy wanted to have anything to do with the actual capture of Vulcan. That risk was to be borne exclusively by the Romulan Senate and the Praetorian Guard.  
“Can’t you just admit that those humans you worry so much about are cowards and that the vulcans actually want us there?” asked one of the more brash young centurions in the council room, only to receive withering looks from those among the older officers who bothered looking at her at all.  
“Centurion Cireeka, you are an expert at warp field theory and long-range telemetry, yet unlike most scientists, you seem quite unrestrained in commenting on topics that you know nothing about,” said Sela. “That is most unbecoming in a scientist or any romulan. Do not speak further,” she added as it appeared the centurion was about to apologize.  
Three top admirals were also in the council chamber of Sela’s mammoth flagship, the I.R.W. Bestia, the first of the new class of romulan battlegods. Admiral Ritrina spoke up. “It’s a trap.”  
“Of course it’s a trap,” Sela snapped. “The question is what kind of trap, and for whom?”  
“Should we discontinue the resettlement, then?” asked the admiral.  
“No,” Sela responded. “That is how insidious this trap is. No matter what the humans have cooked up for us, it is still in our best interest to complete the resettlement from Romulus.”  
“You knew it was a trap before the Praetorian Guard attacked,” Ritrina observed.  
“Don’t be dense, Ritrina, it doesn’t suit you,” Sela replied. “The Praetorian Guard knew it was a trap before the attack - if you could even call it an attack. Centurion Cireeka, are you listening?” Sela slapped the table. “You won’t learn if you cannot focus! NO - do not apologize, just keep your mouth closed and learn something!”  
“Should we reinforce the Praetorian Guard at Vulcan with Navy resources?” asked another of Sela's admirals.  
“Where would you pull those resources from?" Sela rejoined. "The Klingon Border? The Neutral Zone? Internal resource acquisition and enforcement? Do you begin to see how insidious this trap is? Despite its historical significance, Vulcan is not like Romulus, or Earth, or Bajor. It does not have the resources to support more than three or four billion people at the most and even that probably is not sustainable. The acquisition of Vulcan gets the Senate out of our hair, along with the refugees from Romulus. But it cannot also sustain the Navy. If we push further into federation territory, we open ourselves to klingon attack. If we open a front against the Klingon Empire, Star Fleet will attack. And if we don’t sufficiently resource our base here within the empire, we face almost certain rebellion against the Navy.”  
“Why did they hand us Vulcan without putting up at least the appearance of a fight? Why would they make the trap so obvious?” asked Admiral Ritrina.  
“That is a much better question, Admiral,” Sela responded. “The vulcans could have inflicted heavy casualties on the Praetorian Guard with minimal risk to their own resources. They could have mined the system, used the planetary defense platforms. They could have drawn the guard ships in close to Starbase 18 before destroying it. They could have waited to destroy the gantries until they were swarmed with breaching landers carrying troops for boarding. Even with Star Fleet pulled out of the Vulcan star system, the vulcans alone could have inflicted tens of thousands of casualties and taken out as many as a dozen warbirds and dozens of breaching landers if they had put up a fight with what they had stationed in the system instead of scuttling all of it just when the Praetorian Guard decloaked.”

“It isn’t logical. Degrading our resources would have made it much easier for Star Fleet to re-take Vulcan,” Ritrina observed.

“That’s because they have no intention of retaking Vulcan!” Sela exclaimed. “Ah, this hurts my head! What are they up to? What we need, more than anything, is information. Something is missing. The vulcans and the humans are hiding something and we must find it before they finish springing their trap. I want all our intelligence assets within the rump Romulus population activated. And our resources on Vulcan. We need to put our feet on every inch of that planet and its sister planet, T’Khut – and T’Khut’s moon. There is something we just are not seeing from orbit. Get me telemetry on that entire star system. There are two brown dwarf systems nearby, get me everything on those as well. Pull up everything we have on traffic patterns and communication patterns, commerce around Vulcan, everything. We need a thorough analysis on what has changed in the past year and especially in the past few months.”

17.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Supreme Commander Sela  
Human Ethnicity: German American  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Khittom, Khittomer  
Introduced: Episode 17.1  
Age when introduced: 71  
Role: Supreme Commander, Imperial Romulan Star Navy
> 
> Character: Centurion Cireeka  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: I.R.W. Cornus  
Introduced: Episode 17.1  
Age when introduced: 27  
Role: Senior Telemetry Officer, I.R.W. Bestia
> 
> Character: Senior Admiral Ritrina  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Bruscus, Romulus  
Introduced: Episode 17.1  
Age when introduced: 67  
Role: Senior Admiral, Imperial Romulan Star Navy


	99. Episode 17 - Terms of Surrender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The United Federation of Planets has opened negotiations with the Romulan Senate for the surrender of Vulcan. And Justice Minerva Irons is the lead negotiator for the Federation.  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
And I don't think the Picard series is going this direction, so this story line is very divergent...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender

Episode 17 – Terms of Surrender

_“If you want to keep a secret, write it into a book. If you want to learn something without anyone knowing what you are learning, read a book. If you want the truth, read many, many books. Information you access through a computer is tracked and identified to you. From that moment on you are the target of information tailored to your prejudices, your preconceptions, your biases, the nap of your brain.  
__ “Every piece of information you consume through a computer is data that other people will use to attempt to shape your thoughts and beliefs to their advantage. Reading a book is the ultimate act of sedition against these entrenched powers.” _

_Radovan Ivonovic – Editorial in _ _The Good News of New Hope_ _._

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)  
  
At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady  
.

  
Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim  
.  
Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth (last name rhymes with Booth)  
Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq (last name rhymes with Chocolate)  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar  
.  
Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Special Agent Anana Lynarr, Trantor Police Intelligence Division (temporary assignment)  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace  
Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba (rhymes with Cabaret Nina)  
Tactical Specialist Veri Geki  
Tactical Specialist Ranni Neivi  
.  
Director of Engineering - Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars, Lord Wootton-Sandleigh, Order of Merit  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	100. Episode 17.2 - Terms of Surrender: Saoron's Study

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The Premiere of the Vulcan High Council arrives at the People's Palace on Andoria. And is taken prisoner.
> 
> _Premiere Saoron was quite small for a vulcan and completely bald - which made his pointed ears look oddly large, giving him something the look of a kobold or some other mischievous minuscule mythical miscreant..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Say mischievous minuscule mythical miscreant five times fast...
> 
> The three primary military allies - Earth, Andoria, and Vulcan - have very different forms of self-government. Andoria is a constitutional empire with a hereditary emperor. Earth, a democratic republic and Vulcan a meritocracy. Saoron is the premiere because he essentially got promoted to that position.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 2: Saoron's Study

17.2  
Saoron’s Study

Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic was staying as a guest in the Palace of the Andorian People at Laikan when the crates from Vulcan arrived – thousands of them. Ivromia zh’Ithirith, the newly appointed Seneschal of the People’s Palace (as it was commonly referred to) was extremely put out and quite short with Curator T’haru Gonzalez, who had arrived with the crates.   
Ivonovic had a quiet word with Seiv th’Stavin, whose star had been rising within the imperial court. The coincidence of Seiv’s increasing influence within the court and his friendship with Ivonovic had not gone unnoticed by members of the succession qualified houses of Shav, th’Ravonnette and zh’Ithirith.

“Seneschal Ivromia, if it would facilitate your many other duties, I would be happy to see to the proper disposition of these gifts from Vulcan.” Courtesy did not come naturally to andorian nobility, so th’Stavin’s soft-spoken approach tended to catch most of the Imperial Court off-guard.   
“What is your game?” Ivromia zh’Ithirith asked with some disparagement. “What has that human been whispering into your ear?”  
“Only that I should seek to win favor with the person who runs all the daily affairs of this hall and knows everyone in it, by completing a task for you that would otherwise dominate your entire day,” th’Stavin said evenly.  
“I was going to send this…” zh’Ithirith waved her hand vaguely at the hall full of enormous crates, “to be dropped off in the Northern Wastes.”  
“There will be plenty of time to do that if the emperor so instructs. Until then, there are two levels under the kitchens where our guests can remain warm and the contents of those crates can remain dry.”  
“The emperor will see no value in these things…”  
“If he values them, you will have rescued them. If he does not, then this project is my folly,” th’Stavin rejoined.  
“So is this how the human is teaching you to gain influence? Give others the credit when things go right and take the blame when they go wrong? They are a strange, strange people,” said zh’Ithirith.  
Seiv th’Stavin smiled and waited.  
“Take them,” said zh’Ithirith.

T’haru Gonzalez combined the virtues of vulcan thoroughness with human industry and ingenuity. Along with two workers she had brought with her, she used the crates and packing materials to build furniture. Seiv th’Stavin was able to divert a few more workers her way and Ivonovic had additional materials brought in from Earth to create, in four days, using two unused levels below the People’s Palace kitchens, a massive library to warehouse a large number of highly treasured vulcan artifacts, but most importantly, well over three million books, which had been sent in and were now displayed in transparent, atmosphere controlled plastic boxes.   
Premiere Saoron arrived shortly after the rooms were established. Emory Ivonovic greeted the ancient vulcan leader on his arrival in the People’s Palace. Rooms near the kitchens were typically reserved for visitors who required a warmer environment and these were now entirely set aside for the Premiere of the Vulcan High Command and his entourage. The imperial reception was to be held after the entourage was settled into this large number of apartments. Councilmember Ivonovic had been assigned as an official observer from the Federation Council.

“I do not find your central role in these things in any way comforting.” Premiere Saoron was nearly 200 years old and was in surprisingly good health given his age. His age was evident on his face - his skin was deeply wrinkled and had the look of fine, old parchment, browned with age. He was quite small for a vulcan and completely bald - which was extremely unusual among vulcans and made his pointed ears look oddly large, giving him something the look of a kobold or some other mischievous minuscule mythical miscreant - an illusion amplified by the little old vulcan’s bristling energy. But his dark eyes conveyed deep power and knowledge.  
“I have not been a mover in any of these events,” Ivonovic replied. “I was at court here to advocate for political moves within the Federation Council. It seemed important to me at the time - and may eventually turn out to be vital. But where you and your people are concerned - I hate to admit it - but I didn’t see any of this coming.”  
“I had considered a romulan invasion to be a very remote possibility. Evidently, I dramatically underestimated its probability. That combined with the Andorian troubles must have your people in an abnormal pique.”  
“If by that you mean we are emotional about the fall of Vulcan, yes, saddened, frightened, and furious,” Ivonovic replied. “I’m sure you find it terribly illogical and worry that we might react rashly.”  
“I only wish I could say I was counting on it,” Saoron countered. “But as much as I might want Vulcan free, there are billions of lives at stake. Logic tells me we can neither afford a frontal assault nor to admit defeat.There is a high probability that if my people knew how much I am putting their fate into your hands, and the emperor’s, my selection would be vigorously challenged.”  
“Quite possibly your sanity,” said Ivonovic.  
“After all these years traveling in human circles I still fail to see the logic in humor,” Saoron countered.  
“You assumed I was joking?”  
“I learned long ago never to assume anything where your race is concerned. Alas, Esteemed Councilmember, while I will not miss your banter, it is time for me to go up and… how did you put it earlier… face the music?”

17.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Seneschal Ivromia zh’Ithirith  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Andorian  
Hometown/Homeworld: Raitan, Andoria  
Introduced: Episode 17.2  
Age when introduced: 33  
Role: Seneschal, Palace of the Andorian People
> 
> Character: T’haru Gonzalez  
Human Ethnicity: Mexican  
Additional Species: Vulcan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Goreth, Rising Sun  
Introduced: Episode 17.2  
Age when introduced: 53  
Role: Senior Aide to Premiere Saoron


	101. Episode 17.3 - Terms of Surrender: Vulcana Regar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The Romulan Senate and their Praetorian Guard now occupies Vulcan. It is not a soft occupation. But there are a few bright spots...
> 
> _Sub-Commander Nikato lumbered over toward the children. He towered over the guards and few of the children came up further than to his waist. He squatted down to his haunches, reached out a hand, poking a guardsman in the belly. “Key!”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I wrote this scene with the idea of the actor Brian Thompson in the role of Sub Commander Nikato. I think he would love playing that role...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 3: Vulcana Regar

17.3  
Vulcana Regar

The uniform armor worn by the Praetorian Guard was very similar to the brocaded fabric armor worn by the Romulan Star Navy with the exception that the guard used a light, sand color instead of the dark, iron gray of the imperial navy. These light tan uniforms were out in force in every city on Vulcan, the guardsmen in them subjugating the local populace, controlling their movements, confiscating computers, jamming communications, rationing water and electricity, and confiscating their food for rationing. Vulcans, their human family members and their vulcan/human hybrid descendants who resisted were turned out of their homes and relocated to tent cities.

Sub-Commander Nikato was an unusually large and heavily muscled romulan with a jaw so massive it affected his speech. He had learned to speak very slowly and loudly to make certain he was understood. He had a heavy brow-ridge and eyebrows so thick he had to brush them regularly to keep them out of his eyes. He had overcome childhood deformities that caused him to walk with a shuffling, lumbering motion and made it difficult for him to turn his head without also turning his shoulders. All this, combined with his legendary physical strength and violent temper made Nikato a terrifying figure and he used that terror to keep his guardsmen in line.  
He had been given the job of subjugating Vulcana Regar, the largest city on Vulcan, home to more than a million vulcans, humans and hybrids, and now nearly a quarter of a million romulans. It was an enormous responsibility to hand to an officer whom many in the Praetorian Guard felt was a mentally deficient brute. But Nikato had steadily been promoted and had brought along a cadre of loyal officers who had followed him up through the ranks.

Sub-Commander Nikato walked out of his headquarters in the Vulcana Regar city administration building to find a few guardsmen had shackled well over twenty children to a long chain and were handling them roughly. Some of the children were crying in terror. Most of the children were observing and obeying with stoic resignation.

“STOP!!!” Nikato roared, rage evident on his malformed face.

The guardsmen froze at the sound of Nikato’s voice.   
The children froze – those who had been crying stopped crying and stared at the huge romulan in stark terror.  
The centurion who had followed Nikato out of their headquarters froze.  
Several guardsmen and civilians who were repairing a building further down the street froze.  
People inside buildings within a radius of three city blocks froze.  
A few birds overhead paused in mid-flight…  
  
Sub-Commander Nikato lumbered over toward the children. He towered over the guards and few of the children came up further than to his waist. He squatted down to his haunches, reached out a hand, poking a guardsman in the belly. “Key!”  
The guardsman dropped a key into Nikato’s enormous hand. The giant sub-commander unshackled a young boy who had been crying and was now trembling, staring wide-eyed at the monstrous romulan in front of him.  
“Come here, little warrior,” Nikato said gently, holding his arms out.  
With an evident inner struggle, the boy overcame his fear and walked into Nikato’s arms.  
Nikato effortlessly lifted the boy, stroked his hair. “Do you want to go back to your parents?”  
The boy nodded, still clearly terrified.  
Nikato stood up with the child in his arms. He turned to his guardsmen, speaking slowly and loudly, his words slurred slightly due to the deformity in his jaw. “These people are not yours to round up and do with as you please! We are one people, vulcans and romulans. One people. One destiny.”  
“Half of these children aren’t even vulcan,” one of the more courageous guardsmen replied. “That boy is human.”  
“Are you human, little warrior?” asked Nikato.  
“My grandfather is,” the boy replied. “I’m mostly vulcan.”  
“You heard that,” Nikato said to his guardsmen. “These people are vulcan. Vulcana Regar is my city now. I will not have any rebellions here.” Nikato turned to the centurion who had followed him out of their headquarters. “Centurion Javel, spread the word. If any guardsman harms a child of this city, he will be stripped, striped and sent naked to the desert these people call the Forge. Tell them I will wield the whip personally.”  
“Shall I tell the civilians too? This rule applies to them as well?” Centurion Javel asked.  
“Tell the civilians too, Javel. The children of this city, all the children of this city are under my protection. No matter the shape of their ears or the color of their blood,” Nikato waved a large, dismissive hand at the offending guardsmen. “Now get these… animals out of my sight and find some actual romulans to take these children back to their homes.”  
Javel turned immediately to summon guardsmen from other duties nearby.  
The boy in Nikato’s arms had become frightened again at the anger and power in the enormous romulan’s voice. Nikato stroked his hair again, spoke softly: “It will be all right, little warrior. Tell me how to get to your parents’ house.” The boy shook his head. “You don’t know? Then we will walk until we find it.”

Sub-Commander Nikato wandered off with the child in his arms. He turned and lumbered down a residential street as the young boy pointed the way.

17.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Sub Commander Nikato  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: R.R.W. Equis  
Introduced: Episode 17.3  
Age when introduced: 32  
Role: Military Governor of Vulcana Regar
> 
> Character: Centurion Javel  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Baraldak Bay, Romulus  
Introduced: Episode 17.3  
Age when introduced: 57  
Role: Senior Aide to Sub Commander Nikato


	102. Episode 17.4 - Terms of Surrender: Facing the Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vulcan High Premiere Saoran must face the music in the Andorian Imperial Court...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 4: Facing the Music

17.4  
Facing the Music

Emperor Sin IV was clad in his State robes - blinding white embroidered with silver over white ablative plate armor. The State Room in the People’s Palace, like all formal rooms in any andorian building, had no furniture. There were no ledges around the columns in this room to be used as tables because food and drink were not taken in the State Room. The marble floor was black around the edges of the room, gradually lightening in color to white and sloping up to the Imperial Dias, on which the emperor stood.   
A large orchestra of andorian musicians accompanied the entrances of the emperor and official visitors with fanfares played on deep pitched horns, gongs and bells.  
Only State visitors were announced, which, on this occasion, was limited to Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic and the Premiere of the Vulcan High Command, Saoron. Following protocol, Ivonovic, as the lower ranking visitor, was announced first. He approached the emperor, who was standing, subtly elevated in the center of the room. The blind emperor acknowledged Ivonovic with his antennae.   
A moment later, when Premiere Saoron was introduced, Emperor Sin IV turned his back. Two andorian guard soldiers stepped forward and quickly and rather roughly shackled the elderly little vulcan. He offered no resistance as they lifted him up and carried him out.  
Emory Ivonovic forced himself to watch. A year ago he would not have cared about an antique vulcan being mishandled by andorian guardsmen.   
The andorian guard quickly arrested the remaining vulcans in the room along with the vulcan/human hybrids who had made up the majority of the vulcan delegation. Some of these were indistinguishable from vulcans. Others were indistinguishable from humans. By the time all the arrests had been completed, only three non-andorians remained in the State Room - Emory Ivonovic and a couple of ferengi traders. Ivonovic stayed only as long as protocol required. At the appropriate time he made the appropriate parting with the emperor’s company.   
As he backed out of the State Room, as protocol required, Ivonovic could feel the vast gulf between himself and the andorian emperor. He had built an alliance with this extremely dangerous creature, but it was an alliance of convenience. They were not friends. They were useful to each other. Ivonovic had built such alliances before, with cardassians and ferengi. But never with anyone so powerful or dangerous as Sin IV.  
  
The People’s Palace was one of the oldest buildings in Laikan and the cloakroom was an afterthought, added centuries after the initial construction for those aliens who required additional protection from the bitter cold of Andoria. Emory Ivonovic wrapped himself in a thick black scarf and black overcoat, donned a dark gray fedora and stepped out into the blistering cold. While the andorians were among humanity’s earliest interstellar allies, neither humans nor any other aliens were a common sight on the streets of Laikan, Andoria’s capital city. Just throngs of andorians.  
Everywhere Ivonovic looked, there were pale blue antennae writhing about, seemingly independent of the facial expressions and activities going on just underneath them. It was as though Andoria were home to two separate species – pale blue people who were too thin and walked strangely and another race of somewhat menacing antennae that lived on their heads. The sight of all those writhing antennae was making him feel nauseous.

Ivonovic made it from the People’s Palace to the United Earth Governments embassy. There was also a United Federation of Planets building, but he trusted Earth security more. Even in this building, there were more andorians than humans. Ivonovic could not look at them any longer. He found a bathroom, made it to the urinal and threw up. It took several minutes for him to recover, washing his face, looking at himself in the mirror. It was just the shock of remembering just how treacherous these aliens could be. He was amazed he had forgotten – started to think of them as if they were human. Kenny Dolphin had it wrong. People didn’t hate hybrids because of some perception of an unfair genetic advantage.

They hated hybrids because they weren’t human.

Ivonovic found his way to a secure communication booth. “I need to send a secure message, audio only.”  
The communication station replied with a feminine computer voice: “Please enter your three hundred, twenty seven character passcode, followed by the pound key.”  
Ivonovic entered his passcode, then pounded the appropriate final key.  
“Welcome, Councilmember Emory Ivonovic. Secure messaging system enabled, Federation Council security protocols in place. Whom would you like to message?”  
“Council Leader Ushi Irons.”  
“Confirmed. You may record your message now.”  
Ivonovic took a deep breath, then said:

“It’s done.”

He took another breath. “End message. I need to open a subspace communication, shore to ship.”  
“Federation Council security protocols remain in place. To whom would you like to speak and on which vessel?”

17.4


	103. Episode 17.5 - Terms of Surrender: Battle Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin and 2nd Lt. T'Lon are having dinner, as they often do, when the conversation turns toward her battle scars..  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
One of the tricky things about telling a story in writing is to keep in mind what people look like - especially as their looks evolve over time. T'Lon is a slim, tall, dark skinned vulcan, now with battle scars. Every once in awhile I have someone like Rear Admiral Chekov refer to Kenny Dolphin as "Goldilocks" or "Blondie" to remind the reader that he has blonde hair.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 5: Battle Scars

17.5  
Battle Scars

As often as possible, Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin and 2nd Lt. T’Lon shared an evening meal in the director’s lounge. Tauk was with them on rare occasions, but he tended to retire early as he was easily exhausted due to his lung disease. Dr. Moon and Ensign Phillips had been with them often recently, but this evening Moon and Philips both had bridge duty. Dolphin and T’Lon were alone.   
It had been nearly two months since the assault on th’Istel and T’Lon had not had restorative surgery to repair the scar on her right cheek or replace top half of her right earlobe. The trail of the phaser burn could be easily followed from her cheek to her earlobe, the remainder of which had been instantly cauterized. Dolphin could not help but wonder where the other half of her earlobe might have gotten off to. He couldn’t picture T’Lon or anyone else collecting it and keeping it for all this time. He also had a hard time picturing her leaving it on the ground.

“Actually, in all the fighting and chaos, it got stepped on several times,” T’Lon said, answering Dolphin’s thought.   
Dolphin laughed. It evidently did not require a mind meld for her to follow his thoughts, only tracking his eye movements. “Sorry,” he said, still chuckling quietly. “That’s actually quite a grim mental image – people trampling all over your severed earlobe.”  
“I saw no point in retrieving it,” T’Lon responded. “It was all bloody and nasty from having been trampled. But I had no desire to leave it behind so that someone could easily obtain a sample of my DNA. Or more likely, for a rodent to snack on…”  
Dolphin spat his drink out and choked as part of it came through his nose. “You timed that deliberately,” he managed between coughs.  
“Are you going to recover?” T’Lon asked.  
Dolphin coughed a few more times. “Whoever said vulcans can’t deliver a punch line… Yeah, I’m fine. So you didn’t want to keep it or leave it there…”  
“I vaporized it with my phaser. There was just a green smudge-mark left from the blood.”

“I was wondering why you never got it… Um… fixed,” Dolphin said, hesitantly. “I’m sure Sam or Chrisssiana or Napoleon could do a nice repair job in twenty minutes or less.”  
“You’re not the first person to ask. The glib answer I give everyone else has to do with being a physical education and safety instructor. If I am teaching basic phaser safety, you can imagine my students would pay more heed to my words,” T’Lon ran her finger across top of the remaining portion of her earlobe. “I’m not screwing around here… When I say phasers can be dangerous…”  
“You’re a vulcan comedian…” Dolphin intoned.  
“But seriously, folks,” T’Lon said dryly, earning another laugh from Dolphin. “I don’t know why I keep it. Since you and I incorporated what was left of T’Lok into our personality matrices, I have found the world makes more sense when I don’t demand for it to make so much sense. If that makes any sense at all. It’s something T’Lok used to say that never made sense to me until now. It just feels as though covering up the scars would be… false somehow. Inauthentic.”  
“You have certainly become more garrulous since absorbing part of T’Lok,” Dolphin observed.  
“Only with you. In a way, talking with you feels a little like talking with her. Which, I suppose is a bit like talking to myself.”

They both took a few bites, enjoying their meal for a moment in silence.

“Has anyone asked you what your reaction is to the fall of Vulcan?” Dolphin asked.  
“Only you,” T’Lon replied.   
“I only asked if anyone else had asked.”  
“It was implied.”  
“So what do you make of it?”  
“The only time I ever went to Vulcan was with you. That trip saved our sanity. Now that vital resource is inaccessible,” T’Lon said. “But it isn’t as though the romulans took Hawaii. Although I do have grandparents and great grandparents on Vulcan. And other, more distant relatives.”  
“We’ll take it back,” said Dolphin.  
“At what cost?” T’Lon asked.  
“We let them take Vulcan without firing a shot. I think we did that so we could take it back without firing a shot.”  
“I do not see any way that could happen,” said T’Lon.  
“I think Minerva does,” Dolphin responded. “Think about it for a moment. The Romulan Star Navy is estimated to be down to about 300 functional capital ships and most of those are at least 20 years old. That’s less than the Klingon Empire and not even half the size of Star Fleet – not counting the various homeworld fleets. They had to be relying on the Praetorian Guard for some level of security. That’s about 40 capital ships. 40 ships is enough to protect Vulcan from an all-out assault by Star Fleet, but that ties those resources down on Vulcan. The romulans are overextended. A skilled negotiator should be able to wring one concession after another out of the romulans in exchange for holding off both Star Fleet and the Imperial Klingon forces. You know they’ve already tapped Minerva as one of the lead negotiators.”  
“But that would mean that the romulans would keep Vulcan,” T’Lon objected.  
“That’s the part that I don’t get,” Dolphin replied. “On a chessboard, this is a brilliant move. We sacrificed our queen and trapped the enemy. But politically, economically, ethically, this is a disaster. Can you imagine any member world trusting Star Fleet again if we just walked away from one of the three founding worlds? Not only that, this is bound to split the Federation Council right down the middle.”  
“Surely it is logical enough? You don’t think the vulcans did this?”  
“I know vulcans,” said Dolphin. He traced his finger across T’Lon’s battle scar, across the roughened edge of what was left of the top of her right earlobe. “Better than you know yourselves. There is no way the vulcan people would have agreed to this.”  
“Vulcan is not a democracy,” T’Lon responded. “It is a meritocracy. Don’t you think Vulcan’s best and brightest might have devised this scheme?”  
Dolphin shook his head. “Star Fleet would never have agreed to it. On ethical principles alone.”  
“Star Fleet pulled out the entire 6th fleet," T'Lon said. "I recognized the names as some overly enthusiastic lieutenant commander was reciting them.”  
“Star Fleet was tricked. Somehow. I don’t know how, but I’m going to find out.”  
“Not to belittle your investigative abilities, Lieutenant Commander, but how are you going to conduct such an investigation? How do you plan to assemble the resources?” T’Lon asked.

At that moment, the comm system came alive, bringing Ensign Ethan Phillips’ voice into the director’s lounge: “Lieutenant Commander Dolphin, there is a call for you.”  
Dolphin unconsciously looked up as he responded. “Thank you, Ethan. Please put it through.”  
“Justice Irons has requested you take the call in her office.”  
“Who is the call from?”  
“Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic,” Phillips replied.  
Dolphin got up, thumped the table with his finger, looked at T’Lon. “That’s how…”

17.5


	104. Episode 17.6 - Terms of Surrender: Prodigal Sum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Pomm Irons has a sweet new ride... and just in time for a very dangerous mission...
> 
> _“I fear I must spoil everyone’s fun,” said Pivin. “I would love to live aboard this fine yacht for the remainder of my days, but I must go to Vulcan. We need to know far too many things. The status of Saketh and Gamorlan, what this invasion has done to the relationship between the Praetorian Guard and the Romulan Star Navy. We have to know who the players are and if there are any that can be turned.”_  
_“That is incredibly dangerous work,” said Tali._  
_“That has been my life’s work for nearly 20 years now,” Pivin replied..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
A little bit of zip-lining... some fun visuals as well as substantial planning..  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 6: Prodigal Sum

17.6  
Prodigal Sum

The space around the A Boo star system was crowded with Star Fleet vessels in addition to the immense number of freighters and smaller commercial shipping. Then there were the swarms of Trantor Police Monitors – the city had nearly doubled its fleet over the past year and had invested in larger, heavily armed, escorts and cruisers. Two new star bases were under construction and a vast network for shipbuilding had sprung up in near solar orbit. Eleven of Star Fleet’s new Prowler class ships were using the A Boo system as a base for their patrols. Because of the system’s strategic location, Cun Ling had instantly become a critical staging platform for defense of both Earth and the Andorian Empire from further romulan aggression and for monitoring the ongoing assimilation of Vulcan by the Romulan Senate.  
Because of the renewed hostilities between the federation and the Romulan Star Empire, the R.R.C. Prodigal Sum had all kinds of difficulties entering the A Boo star system… officially… But the Prodigal Sum had one distinct advantage. It was a scavenged romulan craft with a still active romulan registry number and had, among other things, a fully functional cloaking device.

Instead of docking with the U.S.S. Hunter, both the Prodigal Sum (still cloaked) and the Hunter landed on a large, mined-out asteroid, which there was no shortage of in the A Boo system. Pomm Irons, a massively obese, bearded bajoran, clad in a EVA suit, opened the port hatch of the Prodigal Sum, creating the odd effect of a doorway into a lighted interior of a ship in the middle of empty space about four meters above the surface of the asteroid. Since the asteroid had very little gravity, both ships were clamped to the surface using their landing gear.  
Hunter opened the starboard hatch and waited. Although he was exposed to the vacuum of space, since he was a holographic projection, he did not require an EVA suit.  
Pomm activated a control on the left arm of his EVA suit and a gun of sorts lowered from just inside the hatch he had just opened. Pomm touched another control and the gun fired a low velocity missile directly into the Hunter’s open hatch. A cable was attached to the missile at one end and the top of the Prodigal Sum’s door frame on the other.   
Hunter caught the missile and unfolded it. It was a grapple. He attached it firmly to the top of the ship’s starboard hatch.  
First Justice Minerva Irons, then Pivin, then Dr. Tali Shae, each clad in full EVA suits with harnesses that clipped to the cable using “O” rings, stepped out of the U.S.S. Hunter, pushed very gently against the Hunter’s hull and zip-lined down into the open hatch of the R.R.C. Prodigal Sum.   
The inner doors for the airlocks on both ships closed and both ships went dark, leaving the U.S.S. Hunter nearly invisible due to its native camouflage and the R.R.C. Prodigal Sum completely invisible thanks to its cloaking device. The cable between them, too small to register on any but the most detailed scan, seemed to be suspended by nothing at either end.

“Much, much larger than the Prophet Motive,” Justice Irons observed, appreciatively, looking around at the interior of the Prodigal Sum. Pomm had completely redesigned the interior.   
“Two great rooms, ten staterooms and a separate kitchen. And of course bridge and engineering,” said Pomm. “In all, it’s almost half the size of the Hunter.”  
“I take it you cannot run this ship by yourself – even the two of you,” Irons remarked.  
“We have taken on a couple of engineers for room, board and a share of any profits,” Oarama Irons replied.   
“My talented but impecunious brother and his far more talented wife,” Pomm added.   
“Are they ready for the dangers of your chosen life?” asked Tali Shae.  
“We all grew up in the bajoran resistance,” said Pomm. “They’re both well experienced with living on the edge. But at least if we go down in this yacht, we will go down in the lap of luxury. It belonged once to a romulan general. Or so I was told when I sunk nearly all of my savings into it. It took weeks to renovate it to this condition.”  
“I never thought I would set foot on one of these,” Pivin said. “I don’t think there were more than a dozen or so ever made.”

At that point a bajoran couple entered from the back of the great sitting room.   
“Justice Irons, Dr. Shae, allow me to introduce my brother, Brema Garro and his wife Ameye,” said Pomm. “Garro, Ameye, Justice Minerva Irons, Dr. Tali Shae and our primary charge, Pivin the Betrayer.”  
Brema Garro looked like a younger and much slimmer version of Pomm Irons.  
“We have fresh springwine and I’m afraid not much else to offer at the moment,” said Ameye.  
“That would be refreshing,” Irons said. “I haven’t had springwine in quite some time. It doesn’t keep well and we’ve not been near Bajor recently.”  
“I fear I must spoil everyone’s fun,” said Pivin. “I would love to live aboard this fine yacht for the remainder of my days, but I must go to Vulcan. We need to know far too many things. The status of Saketh and Gamorlan, what this invasion has done to the relationship between the Praetorian Guard and the Romulan Star Navy. We have to know who the players are and if there are any that can be turned.”  
“That is incredibly dangerous work,” said Tali.  
“That has been my life’s work for nearly 20 years now,” Pivin replied.   
“How are you going to get… oh, thank you Ameye,” Tali said as Pomm’s sister-in-law handed her a glass of springwine. For a moment silence settled in the sitting room as its occupants enjoyed the light, sweet flavor of the alcoholic bajoran beverage.

After a second glass, Tali started again. “How are you going to get onto Vulcan? You would be captured the moment you beamed in. They would just redirect the transporter beam.”  
“I’ve been running Pivin for almost a decade now,” Pomm interjected. “With your help, we should be able to get her onto Vulcan the same way she got onto Vengeons-Roux.”  
“That is far too risky,” Justice Irons objected. “Those suits have a 50% failure rate.”  
“You don’t think I’d let my wife or Pivin jump in a suit I haven’t checked out and modified?” asked Pomm. “I’ve manufactured new suits that are a dramatic improvement on those old Maquis artifacts. Those things had a 50% failure rate.”

“You said you will need our help to insert Pivin onto Vulcan,” Irons said. “I am still quite dubious about this plan. It occurs to me that on a planet with two or three billion people, someone might spot a flying romulan.”  
Pivin spoke up: “There is an identity in the records of an Imperial Intelligence Control operative named Pinith. I chose the name because it is close to Pivin. With the central records repository destroyed, that identity may still be valid. I accomplished quite a few misdeeds under that name.”  
“You know there is no talking Pivin out of this mission - if you know her at all,” said Oarama.  
Irons sighed. “I know. And she is right, we must have that information. But oddly, I have grown rather fond of Pivin and I have lost a number of people I am fond of recently. What do you need us to do?”  
Pomm smiled. “You aren’t the only one who will be nervous about this. It is easily the most dangerous mission we will ever have run with her. The cloaking device on this ship is old. If we warp into Vulcan space - or anywhere near, they will see the energy signature and find us in seconds. But if we warp in on the Hunter’s bow, and drop out of warp simultaneously, it will just be a small part of the energy signature of a new ship type they have little experience with. Once we’re moving at sublight speeds, the cloak should be completely effective. So we need you to get us into vulcan space and for someone else to get us out after we retrieve Pivin. Um.. Pinith, that is…

As easily as Irons and Tali had zip-lined down from the Hunter into the Prodigal Sum, because there was almost no discernible gravity on this asteroid, it was just as easy for them to zip-line back up into the Hunter after kicking off gently from the hull of the Prodigal Sum - in fact it gave them the illusion that they were traveling down, as if the Prodigal Sum had been parked on higher ground. Another crewmember, also clad in an EVA suit, assisted Irons and Tali into the hatch, then detached the grapple, folded it and with extreme precision, dived out of the Hunter’s hatch, making a straight line to the open hatch of the Prodigal Sum, carrying the grapple, cable in tow.   
Pomm Irons, again in his EVA suit, was braced to catch this living missile from the Hunter. He retrieved the grapple, carefully recoiled the cable and reinserted the grapple into the grapple gun, setting it back up above the hatch before sealing the hatch. Once the outer airlock door was closed, the Prodigal Sum was, once again, entirely invisible.

17.6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Brema Garro (Garr)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Bajoran  
Hometown/Homeworld: Temple of the Veil, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 17.6  
Age when introduced: 21  
Role: Engineer, R.R.C. Prodigal Sum
> 
> Character: Brema Ameye (Ameye)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Bajoran  
Hometown/Homeworld: Deep Space 9  
Introduced: Episode 17.6  
Age when introduced: 24  
Role: Engineer, R.R.C. Prodigal Sum


	105. Episode 17.7 - Terms of Surrender: The Commission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The Federation Council is up in arms over the Fall of Vulcan. A commission is empaneled to get to the bottom of it. And it proves to be a stepping stone to the ambitious chairman of the commission...
> 
> _“I was surprised you nominated me to chair the commission,” said Ivonovic, taking a seat in an arm chair nearby. “But you will be watching over me on the rules committee - when is the last time you personally chaired a committee?”_  
_“It’s been 27 years since I served on a committee. Consider this a kindness...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
A Zen master friend of mine (of sorts) is named here as the author of a book - John Shoji Sorensen...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 7: The Commission

17.7  
The Commission

  
“But Rear Admiral Chekov…”  
“No! You do not know that. You have no facts. That’s why we must begin an inquest. No hearsay about which admiral might have ordered what. We need documents. We must have testimony in open session.” Councilmember Emory Ivonovic had the floor in full council and for once Ushi Irons could not muster the votes to force him to sit down. Nearly everyone on the council wanted answers to the same questions Ivonovic was asking.  
“How did Vulcan come to be stripped of all defenses?” Ivonovic continued. “What happened to the 6th Fleet? What happened to Vice Admiral Senvol? Why was Starbase 18 scuttled without firing a shot? There were literally thousands of photon torpedoes on that space station - enough to place at least 100 around each warbird. Who ordered two full wings of Vulcan’s heavy interceptors to warp to Pillo where they were not needed? Who stripped Vulcan of all its defenses? How did Star Fleet hand Vulcan over to the Romulan Star Empire?? We cannot rely on Star Fleet to conduct their own investigation into the greatest failure in their history. We must have a commission to get to these answers…”  
“If the councilmember will yield for a motion to create his commission!,” Council Leader Ushi Irons finally said in frustration.

The United Federation of Planets Council Room was one of the most secure rooms in one of the most secure buildings on Earth. It was an opulent room rich with colors and fabrics that could be appreciated by the many different species that came together to make decisions for the federation. Representation followed population patterns, so well over half of the 360 representatives were human.  
The room was arranged roughly in a circle with the majority of seats arranged in a semi-circle facing the podium. About 20 seats were arranged in a semi-circle behind the podium at which Ivonovic was speaking. The seats behind the podium were informally reserved for the unelected leadership of unofficial coalitions. Ushi, as the Council Leader who most often set the agenda, was seated directly behind Ivonovic.  
Emory could see Ushi’s flash of anger reflected in the surprise and startle reactions on the faces in front of him. Ushi had served on the council for more than 40 years and had earned a reputation for emotional self-control. Emory turned slowly to see Ushi standing behind him. Under the ridiculous long white beard and masses of long, straight white hair, was the perfect mask of Chinese inscrutability. But the simple fact that Ushi was standing was surprising enough.   
Ivonovic took a long breath, then slowly stepped aside. “I yield to the esteemed council leader.”  
Ushi approached the podium. Emory’s unofficial seat was near the back of the room.  
“I move we create a commission to review the role of Star Fleet and other parties in the fall of Vulcan,” Ushi said from the podium. “And I nominate Councilmember Ivonovic to chair the commission. Finally,” Ushi said as Emory stopped in mid-step on his way to the back bench, “the commission will need a rules committee to set the rules for the commission’s proceedings and oversee its activities to ensure the rules are followed…”

A few hours later, Emory Ivonovic was in his office, enjoying a drink with Seiv th’Stavin, who was now serving as a staff aide to one of the councilmembers from Andoria. Ivonovic made a point of keeping favorite drinks from several worlds, including andorian ale, which Seiv was partial to. Ivonovic only drank ice water. The comm on the desk took a breath - it was Joanna’s voice from the outer office - “Councilmember, Council Leader Irons is here to see you?” Joanna sounded deeply puzzled.  
“Well is he or isn’t he, Joanna?” Ivonovic asked.  
Ivonovic could hear Joanna take a deep breath. “Yes sir, he is definitely here.”  
“Is there a reason you haven’t sent him on in?”  
“Yes sir… umm… no sir… that is…”  
“I’ll just see myself in, thank you, Joanna,” came Ushi’s deep, odd voice, followed immediately by the man himself opening the door and walking into Emory Ivonovic’s office for the first time.

Ivonovic and th’Stavin both stood up immediately.   
“May I offer you a drink, Council Leader?” Ivonovic asked.  
Ushi brushed his long, wispy white beard with his left hand. “Do you have kanar?”  
“Very fine kanar, or so I am told. But I have to admit I’m amazed you like it. Cardassian beverages are a bit of a learning curve for the human palate…”  
“I have no desire to try it. I will take a glass of ice water, if you don’t mind.”  
Seiv th’Stavin poured a glass of ice water from a carafe, offered it to Ushi. “Alas, esteemed Council Leader, I must be going.”  
“Yes,” Ushi agreed, taking the glass. He waited until the door closed behind the ambitious andorian bureaucrat before taking a seat in the chair th’Stavin had evacuated.  
“I was surprised you nominated me to chair the commission,” said Ivonovic, taking a seat in an arm chair nearby. “But you will be watching over me on the rules committee - when is the last time you personally chaired a committee?”  
“It’s been 27 years since I served on a committee. Consider this a kindness.”  
Ivonovic raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t know you had it in you. Vulcans are emotional basket cases by comparison to you. Or so rumor has it.”  
“I am part vulcan,” Ushi observed. He cast an eye to a bookshelf behind Ivonovic’s desk. “You seek wisdom, Emory Ivonovic. There is an old Zen koan you should review.” Ushi took a drink, set his glass down, then stood up to leave. “It is about a dog that chases an automobile.” Ushi gestured to Ivonovic’s collection of books. “You will find it in Irony - A Zenner’s Guide by John Shoji Sorensen. I take my leave of you.”

17.7


	106. Episode 17.8 - Terms of Surrender: Implant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Pivin the Betrayer begins her dangerous spy mission at New Romulus on Vulcan...
> 
> _“You may go…” The sub-lieutenant was egregiously overstepping his bounds. Still testing._  
_“We are not finished, Sub-Lieutenant. I am giving you one more chance to show the proper courtesy,” Pivin said. Her voice was calm, her expression composed..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The events that begin here lead to a very intense scene (according to my beta readers) toward the end of this Episode...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 8: Implant

17.8  
Implant

At the top of Mt. Kur at’la Kiur, poisonous fumes spat upward in bursts of hot steam, pushing their way up through the hardened magma inside the crater. Red hot magma seeped from the sides of the volcano in thick, narrow streams slowly inching toward the rich, fertile valley below. This was a mountain rarely climbed except by overly adventuresome seismologists - one of three semi-active, stable volcanos that surrounded the valley of Nal’shin, the richest, most fertile valley and most strategically valuable location on Vulcan. Nearly a billion people depended on the food and organic materials from this valley - more than a third of the planetary population.  
Near the summit, a small, elderly romulan woman took apart most of her EVA flight suit and used its materials and electronics to build a radio transmitter tower. Hidden in the smoke rising from a vent on the side of the mountain and powered by its heat and movement, the tower was designed to relay signals from a remote embedded in her hip and transmit them along a specific frequency as a sequence of static bursts.

Slowly and carefully, Pivin made her way down the side of the smoking mountain, carefully avoiding the streams of magma that crawled down the side of the mountain in small, blazing threads into a river below, enriching the valley with minerals.  
Pivin entered the valley from the rear. Armies had tried this and failed during the warring period nearly a thousand years ago, but one person could blaze a trail where armies could not. “Jolan Tru, Uhlan,” she said to a startled romulan guard in a tan uniform.   
“You are not supposed to be here!” the guard barked, pointing his disrupter rifle at her, only to have it smoothly and easily taken away from him and leveled at him.  
“Steady, Uhlan. Give me your name.”  
“Jeteet…”  
“Citizen will do, you need not know my name or designation,” Pivin said. She deactivated the disruptor rifle, spun it quickly and expertly in full Praetorian dressage (which was distinct from Star Navy dressage) then handed it back to the guard. “Have a care not to point that at your superiors. I will allow you be my honor guard, but not my captor.” She remained uncomfortably close to the guard as he took the rifle from her in some confusion. “You have not returned my greeting, Uhlan. Please do not be discourteous.”  
“Ah,” the guard took a breath, then said, “Jolan Tru, Citizen.”  
“Better. You may take me to the Proconsul now.”  
“This way,” the guard replied. “Is Proconsul Nirrume expecting you?”  
Pivin caught the slight hesitation after the word ‘Proconsul.’ She had to be expecting this. “Considering that Fort Aba’kur is not under the protection of Proconsul Nirrume, he will be quite disappointed if he is.” She looked at the pennant flying over the ramparts. She could barely make it out - could be one of two as she reviewed heraldry in her mind… She pointed at it. “That is the pennant of Sekeeto…” she saw Uhlan Jeteet’s shoulders tense… “the Younger.”  
Pivin took a breath as the guard relaxed and led her to the ancient vulcan fort.

“My apologies, Operative.” The sub-lieutenant who had checked Pivin’s ID code was exactly the type of person Pivin had expected - a professional security officer, trained at ferreting out people just like Pivin. Trained in recognizing facial surgery and no doubt trained to recognize specific faces - like the infamous Pivin the Betrayer. Romulans were resistant to telepathy to begin with, and security officers were specifically chosen for their resistance to any form of mental control. But he had one critical disadvantage - he was young.  
“None of the communication about you indicated you were a deep cover operative,” he said. Nothing in his training had prepared him for her file – which she had embedded in the system long before the destruction of Romulus. Well before this sub-lieutenant had joined the Praetorian Guard. Possibly before he was born.  
Pivin favored the sub-lieutenant with a level gaze and let him work it out for himself.  
“But then… I suppose it wouldn’t be deep cover then…”  
Pivin continued looking at the officer. He didn’t realize it, but this was the most dangerous part of her mission.   
“Right hand,” said the sub-lieutenant. He patted a box on his desk. This box was designed to take a sample for DNA recognition. Or it could inject a poison that would kill Pivin instantly. Or a truth serum. Or a sedative. It could also simply chop her hand off.  
Pivin did not hesitate. She felt two needles penetrating her ring finger and another plunged into her wrist to take a sample of her marrow. Pivin kept her face composed and pushed her hand slightly forward. There was a sudden surge of pain as the needle that took a sample of her marrow planted something inside her bone. This was what she had come here for. She waited a few heartbeats before retrieving her hand.  
“Staying in Fort Aba’kur long, Operative?” asked the sub-lieutenant.  
Pivin remained silent, simply looking at him.   
“You may go…” The sub-lieutenant was egregiously overstepping his bounds. Still testing.  
“We are not finished, Sub-Lieutenant. I am giving you one more chance to show the proper courtesy,” Pivin said. Her voice was calm, her expression composed.  
The security officer looked at her for a long moment, then bowed his head, looked up again and said, “Jolan Tru, Citizen.”  
Pivin relaxed almost imperceptibly, just the slightest nod, then turned and left. She had what she came for. The marker that had been placed in her wrist would track her access to buildings and computer files - but it gave her the access she needed. Now the trick was to appear to be reporting intelligence without getting caught gathering it.

_* Jolan Tru, Uhlan (Blessing of the People, Guardsman)_

17.8


	107. Episode 17.9 - Terms of Surrender: The Pitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons, in her role as chief negotiator, makes the sales pitch...
> 
> _“Your way of life died with Romulus,” Irons observed. “Your people have spent the last ten years as refugees inside what you once thought was your own empire. Your people are on Vulcan now. And when on Vulcan, you should at least consider doing as the Vulcans do..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
If the Fall of Vulcan was arranged by Section 31, they must have had a plan...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 9: The Pitch

17.9  
The Pitch

The romulan and federation envoys met in a newly established conference center aboard the U.S.S. Milky Way. By agreement, five of the Praetorian Guard’s warbirds (the R.R.W. Praesidio, R.R.W. Heros, R.R.W. Vir, R.R.W. Nobilis and R.R.W. Equis) had the enormous new Star Fleet vessel surrounded in blank space between the Vulcan and A Boo star systems.   
The U.S.S. Hunter, which had guided the Romulan Senate’s warbirds from Vulcan to the treaty location, was present as well, along with 30 of Star Fleet’s long range interceptors. Neither the romulans nor the klingons bothered much with this class of small attack craft, preferring to rely on cloaked scout ships instead. This had less to do with technology and more to do with command and control. Fleets of small, two-seat, warp-capable fighter craft would provide too many opportunities for undisciplined adventurers among the klingons and far too many opportunities for defectors and spies among the romulans.

By consensus among several powerful individuals, the federation negotiation team was headed by At-Large Appellate Justice Minerva Irons. Her romulan counterpart was Senate Proconsul Vruncleel, the 4th highest ranking Proconsul of the Romulan Senate and one of the youngest assigned to the negotiating team. Their role was to review everything negotiated by the various topic oriented negotiation committees and fit whatever each committee managed to agree on into a larger agreement. They also had the responsibility of reviewing each portion of this larger agreement in light of what the Romulan Senate and the Federation Council would be willing to approve.  
The rooms they were meeting in had been created in the port side of the Milky Way among a large block of empty rooms. Appropriate tables, chairs, clearboards and other tools as well as décor were manufactured to furnish these rooms. A large auditorium was created on another deck just below these rooms for occasional meetings of the negotiating group in whole.   
The rooms were lavishly decorated with rich tapestries along the walls, designed to emulate well-known, historic romulan and vulcan tapestries. The floors were clad in marble mosaics with similar combinations of historic romulan and vulcan mythology. The furnishing of these rooms represented the height of romulan and vulcan culture. All of these high quality materials and historically accurate artwork were made possible by exceptionally high quality replicators onboard the Milky Way, operated by expert artisans who reproduced and installed these furnishings with meticulous detail.   
Justice Irons and Proconsul Vruncleel met in the enormous conference room and sat next to each other in arm chairs on a raised dais at the front of the room. Each was allowed two security officers in the room with them to serve as witnesses, provide for their needs and provide protection. In addition to the two romulan uhlans, Tactical Specialist Veri Gecki and Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace stood watch at a respectful distance.

“So Premiere Saoron refuses to return to Vulcan and surrender to the Senate?” asked Senate Proconsul Vruncleel.

The young romulan politician was unusually handsome. His thick, curly, black hair was close cropped instead of worn in the traditional bowl haircut preferred by romulan military services. His clothing was deceptively simple in design but made from opulent, extremely high quality fabrics – a maroon unitard with battle scenes embroidered in gold around the neckline, the cuffs of the sleeves which stopped just above his elbows and the hem that stopped just above his knees, revealing muscular arms and legs. Over this simple garment, he wore a toga made from a subtle interweaving of tan and topaz fabrics that wrapped over his right shoulder, fastened with a golden broach in the shape of some kind of bird and wrapped around his waist, stopping just short of the hem of the unitard underneath – gathered by an equally subtle woven rope about his waist. Bright steel bracelets with gold overlay were matched by similar bracers at the top of soft, brown boots.   
Most of the romulan negotiators were clad similarly, choosing various combinations of reds with browns – the only common difference between male and female fashions was that the women gathered their togas over the left shoulder and tended to wear lighter colors under darker colors. Interacting with these fashionable, relaxed and generally young and athletic romulans was a new experience for federation negotiators, who were used to dealing with stoic romulan Imperial military officers in their drab, dark gray brocaded armor.   
Even the Praetorian Guard officers were different – their armor was similar in style to that of the Romulan Star Navy, but a light, sand color instead of iron gray. While disciplined, the guardsmen seemed much more relaxed than Imperial forces. Federation negotiators were mostly vulcan or vulcan/human hybrids and wore a broad variety of fashions based on their homeworld or, in the case of the many from Earth, regional fashions.  
Justice Minerva Irons had chosen a simple pant suit of unrelieved black silk with an equally simple black blouse – no embroidery or patterns of any sort. She had forgone the robe of her office. This light outfit emphasized her slender figure.

“He would surrender himself, but he has been arrested and is being held for trial on Andoria.” Irons replied.  
“Under what charges?”  
“Treaty violation,” Irons answered. “The Treaty of Paan Mokar requires each of the signatories to protect their territories from all intruders as surety to the integrity of the other’s territory. By surrendering Vulcan without firing a shot, the High Command, in the person of Premiere Saoron, was clearly in violation.”  
“But surely the Federation Council can require his extradition?” Vruncleel asked.  
“The Treaty of Paan Mokar predates the Federation Charter. Emperor Sin IV has made it clear that in his opinion, Paan Mokar takes precedence.”  
“How inconvenient.”  
“That would be an understatement as the Andorian Emperor has also made it clear this will be a capital trial.”

“Ah,” Vruncleel mused. He looked down for a few moments, then looked up, introducing a new topic. “I am unconvinced that the Imperial Star Navy should be treated as a third entity in these negotiations.”  
“Which is why they are not represented here at the negotiations,” Irons replied. “This agreement will be between the Federation Council and the Romulan Senate. One democratic republic to another.”  
“But you are setting as a basic requirement that the Senate must disavow its authority over the Romulan Star Navy,” Vruncleel objected.  
“That is untrue and you know it,” retorted Irons. “We are not asking the Romulan Senate to disavow such authority. We are asking the Senate to admit that it can no longer pretend to have any such authority. Such an admission greatly improves your position in these negotiations and the long term stability of your current venture. You know you cannot control what the Romulan Star Navy does. By admitting to that in this treaty, you relieve the Senate of the consequences of treaty abrogation over actions by the Navy. The Navy simply is not party to this treaty and its actions are ungoverned by it, just as they are ultimately ungovernable by the Senate. It is always better to be truthful, Proconsul, even when the truth is uncomfortable.”

“That would be an admission that the entire Romulan Star Navy constitutes an illegal government unto itself!”

“We both know that already to be the truth. But that is a separate problem from your current need to feed two billion romulan refugees along with an already extant population on Vulcan of close to three billion. Vulcan cannot sustain that many people without imports. And all the off-world colonies Vulcan previously relied on for such supplies have declared independence and either entered the UFP as members of the United Earth Governments or, in a few cases, as independent planetary governments. You are well aware that you cannot rely on supplies from the old empire – that is why you took Vulcan and relocated the refugees there in the first place. You can only survive with the assistance of the United Federation of Planets. You don’t want that survival to be threatened by an independent military that has been beyond your control for more than a decade.”  
“If we were to cut off relations with the Navy, then we would be targeted for attack!” Proconsul Vruncleel stood up and started pacing.  
“Then you have two realistic choices: Negotiate a formal relationship with the Navy, and develop a treaty acknowledging that neither has authority over the other…”  
Vruncleel continued pacing for a few moments, then turned to Irons expectantly as she had fallen silent.

For a long moment they looked at each other. Finally, the young romulan broke the silence.  
“You said we have two choices. What is the other one?”  
Irons met his gaze, deliberately kept her voice even, cool, rational:

“Join the federation.”

“Preposterous!” Vruncleel exclaimed. “The Senate would never even take that idea up. To give up our way of life…”  
“Your way of life died with Romulus,” Irons observed. “Your people have spent the last ten years as refugees inside what you once thought was your own empire. Your people are on Vulcan now. And when on Vulcan, you should at least consider doing as the Vulcans do. Consider the possibilities. Do you prefer your people to be the rump outpost of a dying empire? Or a strong and vital partner within the only rising power in the Alpha Quadrant? Do you prefer to be beset by enemies on all sides – or surrounded by allies?”  
“The federation can hardly be considered a rising power. Not with the Andorian Empire engulfed in civil war,” Vruncleel said.  
“Walk that pathetic rebellion in your mind through the next five years,” suggested Irons. “Not that it will last that long. And project what the Andorian Empire will look like after it ends. Emperor Sin IV has already used a declaration of emergency to assimilate the three great house fleets into the Imperial Guard. Do you think he will give them back?”  
Proconsul Vruncleel paused from his pacing, looked up suddenly, catching Justice Irons’ gaze once again. His eyes widened.  
Irons had just the faintest smile. “Play the long game, Proconsul. Your people are more like us than you realize. More like us than you are like those you left behind.”

17.9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Senate Proconsul Vruncleel  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: R.R.W. Heros  
Introduced: Episode 17.9  
Age when introduced: 40  
Role: Chief Negotiator, Imperial Romulan Senate


	108. Episode 17.10 - Terms of Surrender: The Buzz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Pivin provides information to the Romulan Senate and traces where it goes...
> 
> _“Humans!” Sela exclaimed. “We thought we were taking the bulk of the vulcan population. We didn’t even get half of them! What we got was a planet full of humans! Always turning up when you least expect them!”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Spy stuff is a bit difficult to write... But this scene did give me the opportunity to use Sela's go to line about humans...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 10: The Buzz

17.10  
The Buzz

The radio transmitter near the top of Mt. Kur at’la Kiur was extremely simple. It had two modes - on and off. The on position created a slight increase in static on a narrow band of radio channels - channels that already carried significant local static because of the volcano the transmitter was on top of.   
The bajoran resistance had developed a number of unique code systems designed to make use of this kind of simple technology for very detailed messaging. While the available binary codes included an alphabet, the codes also included a large vocabulary of words and phrases tailored for intelligence gathering. Using these, very detailed reports could be generated and transmitted with a very small number of binary codes.   
Pivin could activate the remote for this transmitter by tensing her right buttock for 30 seconds. This would cause a steady tone to be transmitted, alerting Pomm and Oarama Irons, listening inside the cloaked Prodigal Sum, that a message would follow. Pivin could then control the transmitter by flexing her right buttock, which she could do quite rapidly without being noticed, allowing her to send a very large amount of information in less than a minute.

“Have provided intelligence federation goal assimilate Romulan Senate,” Pomm translated. “Traced same to Romulan Star Navy Supreme Commander Sela. Same responsible for attack on Vulcan. Sela now in command of remainder of Tal Shiarr - weak. Imperial Intelligence Control strong influence on Romulan Senate. Tal Shiarr and IIC remain bitter rivals. Navy has discovered potential bio-weapon on Gamorlan. Creating labs to experiment contain local. Saketh enslaved innocent primary food source.”

“What does all that mean?” Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba had transferred from the U.S.S. Hunter to the R.R.C. Prodigal Sum when the two craft had been clamped to a mined-out asteroid in the A Boo star system.  
“Oarama and I have been running Pivin for nine years,” said Pomm. “When you run a spy that long, you develop a kind of shorthand. She had to provide the romulans intelligence of some value to make her cover story stick. The romulans will soon be able to verify that the federation negotiators are trying to entice the Romulan Senate into joining the federation. But Pivin was able to trace where this information went to find out who is running things behind the scenes. The Romulan Senate and the Praetorian Guard definitely executed this operation, but the Romulan Star Navy is behind it. It goes all the way up to the navy’s Supreme Commander, a romulan/human hybrid named Sela. Who knows what kind of pressure the navy brought to bear on the senate not only to take Vulcan, but to do it alone.   
“The Romulan Star Navy can plead innocence and ignorance to the federation in the capture of Vulcan, and we can’t prove they were behind it. But now we know they were,” Pomm continued.  
“She also told us that the Tal Shiarr are still operative and in rivalry with Imperial Intelligence Control,” Oarama added. “The Tal Shiarr – the military spy agency – are now fully under the control of the navy. Imperial Intelligence Control is a civilian spy agency and they report directly to the senate. Star Fleet Intelligence wasn’t sure whether any of the Tal Shiarr structure had survived the Dominion War. Now we know the Tal Shiarr survived – through weakened and no longer a law unto themselves.”  
“Finally, she gave us a report on two worlds near the Dead Zone on the other side of romulan space,” said Pomm. “Apparently the Romulan Star Navy has found something on Gamorlan that could be used as a biological weapon. Biological weapons are not difficult to make, so whatever they’ve found, it must be really nasty. They are setting up labs on the planet so they can contain it there until they figure out how to handle it. The other planet is Saketh. She is telling us Saketh has an indigenous pre-warp civilization. The navy has enslaved that population and is farming that world as a primary food source for the romulan colonies in the old empire. They’re probably mining it for resources as well since they have a ready source of slaves.”

Dasare was surprised. “That is a lot of information for such a short transmission. Are you certain?”  
“We’ve known about Sela for quite some time,” Oarama replied. “She’s been clawing her way to the top of the navy for decades. A strategic thinker. She has gone far in a culture that despises hybrids. She is very good at what she does. And she hates humans.”  
“Okay… I will relay this information back to the Hunter.”  
“Are they within your telepathic range?” asked Oarama.  
“Rumi selected us for, among other things, telepathic ability and range. I can’t reach all the way to the Hunter, but Ranni is stationed about halfway in between in an interceptor, along with one of our pilots. She can relay the message on to Rumi, who will brief Justice Irons.”

17.10


	109. Episode 17.11 - Terms of Surrender: Planet of the Humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sela begins to understand the plan behind the Surrender of Vulcan...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 11: Planet of the Humans

17.11  
Planet of the Humans

“So THAT’s their game! Such naivety,” Sela rubbed her hands together. “They sacrificed Vulcan in the hopes they could split the Romulan Senate from the Romulan Star Empire!” She stood up suddenly, started pacing. “No – there has to be more to their plan than that. It can’t be that simple.”  
Sela was in her office on the I.R.W. Bestia. One-way windows (that appeared to be blank walls on the other side) allowed her to view the bridge and an adjoining conference room to one side and open space off the starboard bow of the battlegod to the other. Admiral Ekot, commander of the First Battle Group, had joined Sela in her office along with Commander Hundeeth, Sela’s favorite analyst – on whom she had relied for decades.  
“Let’s go through this again,” said Sela. “Hundeeth, you told me there have been no significant changes in the traffic patterns around Vulcan over the past two years.”  
Commander Hundeeth shook his head slowly. “Not the kind you might expect. But if you look over the past eleven years, starting with the destruction of Romulus, there are definite trends. The changes are incremental, but the cumulative change is very significant. Nearly 60% of commerce that had gone through Vulcan had been re-routed through Cun Ling over the past decade. Now that Vulcan has fallen, all commerce in that region goes through Cun Ling and that system still has excess capacity to handle an increase of 20% above that.” Hundeeth took a breath. “Also, beginning about a decade ago, a large number of Vulcan artifacts have been removed. Some of them have been moved to new permanent installations on Earth or various Vulcan outposts. Others have become traveling exhibits. And I have the demographic estimates from Imperial Intelligence Control – we just received them.”  
“Federation demographics have become almost impossible to come by over the past 10 years,” Sela observed. “Accurate demographics are the cornerstone of what they think of as a free society.”  
“This may be the reason they have made that information so difficult to obtain,” said Hundeeth. “IIC estimates the population of Vulcan is now about two and a half billion, which falls about a half-billion short of our expectations. But the Internal Intelligence Control’s population estimate indicates that there are less than a billion vulcans on Vulcan. Almost 800 million of the population is human and the remainder, nearly a billion, are hybrids, with a very large number of children.”  
Sela and Admiral Ekot looked shocked. “Who knew there were so many?” Ekot asked.  
“Where have all the vulcans gone?” asked Sela.  
Hundeeth took a deep breath. “Apparently they went to the colonies. They spread out all over the federation. But most of them probably went to Earth.”

“Humans!” Sela exclaimed. “We thought we were taking the bulk of the vulcan population. We didn’t even get half of them! What we got was a planet full of humans! Always turning up when you least expect them!”  
“Should we encourage the Senate to join the federation?” asked Admiral Ekot.   
“That is a very good question, Admiral,” Sela replied. “If we had almost all the vulcan population, we could refuse - well - instruct the Senate to refuse. The federation would not risk the vulcan species. But we don’t have enough of them to pose an existential threat to the vulcans. The federation might refuse food aid, which they would not refuse to a member world. And membership carries other advantages. Romulans would eventually have to be allowed to serve openly in Star Fleet.”  
“But there is a real risk they could turn Senate,” Ekot mused.  
“A far more real risk, given all the humans on that planet,” Sela said. “The vulcans are far more human now than we had realized. And the refugees from Romulus are much, much softer than the rest of the empire – more vulnerable because they’ve never been allowed to settle down anywhere for the past decade. They’re still stalwart enough that vulcans couldn’t turn them. But humans just might.”  
“You seem to give the humans much credit,” said Ekot.  
“The humans built the federation founded on a coalition with the Vulcan High Command and the Andorian Empire – historic enemies," Sela replied. "Humans managed to forge an alliance with the Klingon Empire – in a thousand years of space flight, the klingons never had allies before. The humans fought off the borg three times, chased the Dominion back into the Gamma Quadrant and helped reinvent the Cardassian Empire in their own image. And just in the past few weeks they have broken the backbone of the orion slaving syndicate and dealt a devastating blow to the Nausicaan Collective. It is very, very foolish to underestimate them.”

17.11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Commander Hundeeth  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Varald, Romulus  
Introduced: Episode 17.11  
Age when introduced: 61  
Role: Strategic Analyst, Imperial Romulan Star Navy
> 
> Character: Admiral Ekot  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Romulan  
Hometown/Homeworld: Novok, Romulus  
Introduced: Episode 17.11  
Age when introduced: 77  
Role: Admiral, Imperial Romulan Star Navy


	110. Episode 17.12 - Terms of Surrender: Yuri's Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
On the eve of the announcement of the terms of surrender transferring Vulcan from the Federation to the Romulan Senate, a great performance captures the moment. This scene takes place in Yuri Gagarin Memorial Park, a vast park inside a starship - located in the center of the U.S.S. Milky Way.
> 
> _K’rok lifted an enormous hammer with both hands and, counterbalancing with his entire body weight, spun in circles, building momentum before releasing the hammer with a shout to fly high over the audience and strike the gigantic gong behind them. The hammer dropped onto a collection of cymbals, adding their crashing to the deep resonance of the gong. This was the beginning of an extremely athletic routine that involved the young engineer leaping across the stage, striking various drums with sticks or mallets – hurling mallets at other drums and gongs and keeping up a thunderous, pounding rhythm…_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I am rather proud of this scene. It has a very cinematic feel to it and I would love to see it produced. To get a feel for it, it might help if you can go to YouTube and find a 5-10 minute program of Japanese Tycho drumming to listen to while you read the scene. 
> 
> The drumming described in this scene is meant to be heard throughout as the vantage point shifts from the performance aboard the U.S.S. Milky Way to the trial on Andoria, Pivin's handlers aboard the Prodigal Sum, Ivonovic in his office in Nairobi and poor, terrified Pivin strapped to a chair somewhere on Vulcan...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 12: Yuri's Park

17.12  
Yuri’s Park

Yuri Gagarin Memorial Park, on board the U.S.S. Milky Way, was so spacious it felt like being outdoors in a small town. The park was ringed with storefronts. A bicycle path wound through a grove of trees – the tallest of these reaching up nearly 25’ to the top of the dome. In addition to the trees, evergreen shrubbery and other temperate zone plants filled the park, along with well-tended grasses.   
Day and night were synchronized with sunrise and sunset in Dubuque, Iowa, as was the weather to coincide with the weather at Star Fleet Headquarters. It was an unusually warm April in Dubuque, and light showers had passed through Yuri Gagarin Park in the middle of the Milky Way’s saucer section, leaving a light mist on the large bronze statue of the first man launched into space.   
Night was just falling in Dubuque and the lights in Yuri’s park were dimming. More than 5,000 chairs had been set up facing a stage that had been erected in front of Yuri’s statue. Viewscreens in the dome, covering the storefronts, and in the floor displayed space outside the U.S.S. Milky Way, including the five Praetorian Guard Warbirds, and, behind two of these, the bright ribbon and glowing center of the U.S.S. Milky Way’s namesake.  
Thousands of romulans, humans, vulcans and various other federation species were mingling and finding their way to the chairs. On the stage was a massive set of drums and gongs of various sizes and composition (many of them enormous) along with several stands containing hundreds of sticks, mallets and hammers. A monstrous gong was set up at the back of the audience.  
The U.S.S. Hunter’s giant first officer, Commander David Pepper, stepped in front of the stage and cleared his throat. There was an ambient breath as the communicator embedded in his chest connected with the comm system aboard not only the Milky Way, but all of the other vessels in the vicinity. This program was being broadcast and viewed throughout all of the ships gathered in the détente zone.

“All of you must be exhausted. Two weeks of negotiations followed by cultural events every night celebrating different aspects of romulan and federation cultures. Speaking strictly for myself, and as a student of culture, I have learned more about romulan culture in the past two weeks than all my years before. I never realized what accomplished dancers romulans are, nor appreciated the subtly of their many dance forms. Watching romulans learning and mastering the Charleston in a single night and waltzing effortlessly with Star Fleet officers has to be one of the highlights of my existence.”  
“But tonight, on the eve of proposing the terms of a new relationship between our people, we have a special treat. My young friend and shipmate, K’rok, has become an accomplished Thomborou drummer, an ancient klingon art form rarely witnessed on this side of the klingon border.”

Transporter Engineer K’rok, clad in traditional klingon armor, leapt onto the stage with a shout. Even in the bulky armor, he was an unusually small and slender man, built like a whip. His features were quite evidently a blend of klingon and human. His skin was almost black – a gift from his ancestors from southern India. A low growl began somewhere deep in the young man’s throat, growing into a shout. The volume and power of the voice coming from his slight frame was astonishing.   
Several of the romulan delegation had been quite offended that a klingon cultural event was not only part of the schedule, but was the final program on the eve of the announcement of the proposed terms. Their outrage was transformed first into fear, then wonder as K’rok lifted an enormous hammer with both hands and, counterbalancing with his entire body weight, spun in circles, building momentum before releasing the hammer with a shout to fly high over the audience and strike the gigantic gong behind them. The hammer dropped onto a collection of cymbals, adding their crashing to the deep resonance of the gong. This was the beginning of an extremely athletic routine that involved the young engineer leaping across the stage, striking various drums with sticks or mallets – hurling mallets at other drums and gongs and keeping up a thunderous, pounding rhythm…

In a freezing andorian courtroom in Laikan, Vulcan Premiere Saoron was brought in, decked in chains and flanked by andorian guards, to hear formal charges recited by a white-robed andorian judge. His advocate, an andorian lawyer from House th’Ravonnette, formally and carefully contested each charge on legal grounds. The tiny, ancient vulcan, dwarfed by his guards, watched and listened alertly. Because he was bald, the subtle movements of his large, pointed ears could be seen as they twitched and turned slightly to catch different threads of conversation…

K’rok bounced a dozen mallets off drums on various parts of the stage, catching each mallet as it returned to him and sending it toward a different drum in a pattern so long it was difficult to track – the rhythm changing with the distance between his hands and each drum and emphasized with shouts. Few in the audience were able to keep up with this enormously complex mallet-juggling rhythm, but a number of klingons, scattered throughout the audience could, and, along with Pep, added their shouts in unison with K’rok to emphasize the hypnotic, swirling rhythm…

Near Vulcan, in the flight cabin and primary workroom of the cloaked Prodigal Sum, Pomm Irons took a deep breath as information suddenly flooded onto his screens – a massive upload from Pivin. His eyes widened. “Oh… oh no…”  
“This is amazing,” enthused Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba. “The names, commanders and crew complements of each Praetorian Guard Warbird, specifications for the Romulan Star Navy’s new Battlegods – those ships are even bigger than the U.S.S. Milky Way! Regional Proconsuls, Senators, their aides, estimates of personal weaknesses for each by the Imperial Intelligence Control… she found the gold mine…” Dasare’s excitement waned as she first felt, then saw the grief-stricken expressions on Pomm and Oarama Irons. “What is it?”  
“She’s running out the clock,” said Pomm.  
“She’s been made…” Oarama caught her breath, tears starting in her eyes. Pomm took her hand in both of his as she said, “It’s just a matter of time…”

Hissing sounds had been growing as K’rok changed to a simple, driving rhythm, emphasized each time he landed at the largest drum at the back of the stage – he slammed this drum three times with giant mallets each time he landed near it. His leaps took him from one side of the stage to another, up one level to play tuned bells that could only be reached when he stood on the drums below them. He finally stopped at the giant back drum and repeated the simple three slam, pause, triple slam, pause…

Alone in his office in Nairobi, Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic, wearing a pair of reading glasses, was surrounded by notebooks filled with actual paper, scrawling notes with an actual pen, using highlighters as he struggled through mountains of paperwork. His previously meticulously clean office was now awash in paper. The only space that wasn’t covered with paper was an antique card catalogue with 16 drawers. Emory highlighted something in one of the notebooks, then made identical notes on three separate cards and filed them carefully in three different drawers of the antique, mahogany card catalogue.   
Ivonovic leaned back in his executive chair, set his glasses aside, took a long drink of ice water, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, then sat back up, hunted around for his glasses, donned them and picked up and opened another notebook…

It was only at this point in K’rok’s performance that the audience realized the program included fireworks. Rockets whizzed above the heads of the audience, emitting bright balls of brilliant yellowish lights that somehow hovered in mid-air, well above the heads of the audience. K’rok’s simple, pounding, thunderous rhythm grew more and more insistent as more and more drums and gongs on the stage resonated with his pounding on the big drum in back. He emphasized this rhythm with shouts that were taken up not only by Pep and the klingons, but by a growing number of audience members. Even vulcans and romulans were now adding their voices to the performance…

Piven the Betrayer sat strapped to a chair, entirely immobilized. She could only moan in fear around the gag in her mouth. Her right arm was stretched out on a cold, steel table, strapped down in several places. A block held her fingers up so she could not clench her right hand. Bright lights burned down on her. She could barely seethe masked figures hovering around her until one of them stepped into the light at her side and raised a massive butcher knife. The knife came down hard and fast and she screamed in terror and agony…

BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!

The brilliant lights hovering above the audience in Yuri Gagarin Memorial Park on the U.S.S. Milky Way suddenly exploded – each with a deafening roar – startling most of the audience members out of their wits – but exploding in rhythm as K’rok slammed two enormous drums together – that same pounding 1, 2, 3, (silent 1, 2, 3,) over and over. More rockets launched more lights and they began exploding in groups – even louder – until there was a massive explosion and lights throughout the park suddenly flared brightly and went dark. Sudden, complete silence gripped the park. Only gradually, as their ears recovered from this assault and their eyes adjusted to the starlight all around them, the audience realized that every drum and every bell was still vibrating – at different frequencies, creating a shimmering sound that transcended their hearing range from top to bottom – keeping them hushed in awe as the sound gradually faded to true silence.

The eruption of applause and cheering in various forms was irrepressible. It was only at this point when the stage lights came back up that they could see how hard K’rok was breathing, his dark, nearly black skin coated with sweat.

17.12


	111. Episode 17.13 - Terms of Surrender: The 14 Points of the Treaty of Yuri Gagarin Memorial Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
An outline agreement has been signed. The planet Vulcan and all its inhabitants now belong to the Romulan Senate.
> 
> _1\. The Vulcan High Command relinquishes all claim to authority over the Planet Vulcan, its resources, its inhabitants and its star system according to the procedures set out in Section 1 of these Terms of Surrender..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Woodrow Wilson's 14 points for the proposed treaty to end WWI inspired me...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender  
Scene 13: The 14 Points of the Treaty of Yuri Gagarin Memorial Park

17.13  
The 14 Points of the Treaty of Yuri Gagarin Memorial Park

  1. The Vulcan High Command relinquishes all claim to authority over the Planet Vulcan, its resources, its inhabitants and its star system according to the procedures set out in Section 1 of these Terms of Surrender.
  2. The Imperial Romulan Senate is reorganized as the Republican Senate of New Romulus on Vulcan (hereinafter referred to as the Senate) and will represent all of the peoples of the Planet Vulcan according to the procedures set out in Section 2 of these Terms of Surrender.
  3. The Senate relinquishes all claim to authority over the former colonies and possessions of the Vulcan High Command that are located outside of the Vulcan star system according to the procedures set out in Section 3 of these Terms of Surrender.
  4. The Senate will negotiate a separate agreement with the Imperial Romulan Star Navy (hereinafter referred to as the Navy), officially transferring authority over the Romulan Star Empire from the Senate to the Navy until such time as the Navy can organize a civilian government for the empire according to the procedures set out in Section 4 of these Terms of Surrender.
  5. The Senate relinquishes all claim to authority over the Romulan Star Empire, its resources, its inhabitants and its star systems according to the procedures set out in Section 5 of these Terms of Surrender.
  6. The Senate will provide full access to study groups from the United Federation of Planets (hereinafter referred to as the UFP) to determine the conditions and needs of the people of Vulcan according to the procedures set out in Section 6 of these Terms of Surrender.
  7. The UFP will provide vital survival and economic assistance to sustain the lives and stabilize the lifestyles of the people of Vulcan according to the procedures set out in Section 7 of these Terms of Surrender.
  8. The Praetorian Guard and all other vessels under the control of the Senate will maintain a peacetime footing and will not take aggressive action of any sort against vessels, planets, people and other assets belonging to the UFP or the people of Vulcan and will travel at all times decloaked while in UFP space according to the procedures set out in Section 8 of these Terms of Surrender.
  9. The Senate will enumerate, respect and enforce the individual rights of the people of Vulcan for the purposes of legal and political representation and enjoyment of their private lives and private property according to the procedures set out in Section 9 of these Terms of Surrender.
  10. The Senate will reorganize within 6 Vulcan solar years to hold new elections in which each person on Vulcan of age, regardless of their species, will have one vote - one person, one vote - according to the procedures set out in Section 10 of these Terms of Surrender.
  11. The Senate will, within 2 Vulcan solar years, apply for membership within the UFP following the procedures set out in the Federation Charter and Section 11 of these Terms of Surrender.
  12. Until Vulcan is accepted into the UFP, the UFP relinquishes all claim to authority over the Planet Vulcan, its resources, its inhabitants and its star system according to the procedures set out in Section 12 of these Terms of Surrender.
  13. The Senate and the UFP will negotiate trade in goods, services and technology in good faith according to the procedures set out in Section 13 of these Terms of Surrender.
  14. The Senate and all of its military forces and governmental bodies will respect and will affirmatively protect the right of pre-warp civilizations to live without interference by advanced, space faring cultures according to the procedures set out in Section 14 of these Terms of Surrender.

17 – Terms of Surrender


	112. Episode 18.1 - World on Fire: Operation Hermit Crab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The romulans have a new class of ship that rivals the borg cube for size - the battlegod. The U.S.S. Hunter has to hide from one...
> 
> _“If I weren’t frightened out of my wits, I would have to say this is exactly why I signed up,” said Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars in his bristly Oxford accent. He lifted a tool that looked like a cross between an oversize phaser rifle and a fire hose. It had a homespun look to it of a newly invented gadget made from parts that were never designed to be assembled in that way or actually put together into the same contraption at all..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Sir Geoffrey Alstars and Dr. Napoleon Boles have something in common...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 1: Operation Hermit Crab

18.1  
Operation Hermit Crab

“If I weren’t frightened out of my wits, I would have to say this is exactly why I signed up,” said Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars in his bristly Oxford accent. He lifted a tool that looked like a cross between an oversize phaser rifle and a fire hose. It had a homespun look to it of a newly invented gadget made from parts that were never designed to be assembled in that way or actually put together into the same contraption at all. Alstars was in a full EVA suit, standing in the rear hatch of the wagon.   
A bulkhead sealed the flight booth of the wagon, allowing the rear compartment to be evacuated of air and opened to space. Alstars was harnessed inside the back compartment as he aimed the hose end toward an asteroid. A broad matter stream flowed from the asteroid into the open end of the hose. The hose curled in a broad loop and snaked back out the aft port of the wagon up over the rear hatch door onto the top of the wagon where Lt. Napoleon Boles stood - also clad in an EVA suit, his magnetized boots clamped firmly to the top of the wagon. Boles was holding the other end of the hose, a particle stream spewing out of an appliance that looked similar but not identical to the one Alstars was using.

“I like this thing,” Boles replied, using his end of the hose to sculpt a large structure onto the asteroid. “So in addition to being a math whiz, looks like you’re quite the tinker.”

The wagon was slowly pulling away from the asteroid and rotating slowly on its longitudinal axis as Alstars continued dematerializing rock and sucking it into his homemade device and Boles, standing atop the wagon, spewed rematerialized rock out the other end and used it to construct a large, open structure, reinforcing various segments with a variety of struts and buttresses. The structure was already quite large.

“Okay, Tauk,” said Boles, “it should be big enough - can you confirm with your readings?”  
“Confirmed,” came the voice of the U.S.S. Hunter’s director of ground operations. “But it looks a little smooth on the outside.”  
“Let’s get you in there first, then I’ll pretty up the outside. We’ll pick up some rock from the other end,” Boles responded.

Lt. Tauk was standing at the tactical/communications station at the back of the bridge of the Hunter. “Going to be a tight fit.”  
“Just what the doctor ordered,” replied Commander David Pepper, seated in the captain’s chair. “Wayne, get out of there. Kenny, get us parked.”  
“Aye sir,” came the voice of Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth from the flight booth on the wagon.

On the viewscreen on the Hunter’s bridge, the bridge crew watched as the wagon, with Lt. Napoleon Boles still standing atop it, came out of the large structure and flew off to the other end of one of the larger asteroids in the system. The opening could be seen on the viewscreen along with a portion of the back end of the Hunter’s main nacelle. Lt. Commander Kenny Dolphin, at the pilot’s station, pulled the control stick out from under the panel, rotated it 90 degrees into the upright operating position and used the stick to carefully back the Hunter into the structure that Boles and Alstars had built.   
Once the Hunter was parked inside this hastily constructed hangar, the two interceptors pulled in and instead of trying to re-enter their bays, clamped carefully to the top of the front of the nacelle just below the saucer section. The wagon followed them in. Boles used the tool Alstars had created to partially close the opening, leaving clear lines of fire open for the Hunter’s forward phaser cannons and torpedo tubes but concealing the majority of the front of the small, Prowler class starship.  
Guth carefully landed the wagon upside down on the bottom of the saucer section, anchoring the large, uparmored shuttlecraft magnetically to the underside of the Hunter’s primary hull. Alstars untethered himself from the inside of the wagon and using magnetized boots, stepped out of the open rear hatch of the wagon onto the Hunter’s hull, carrying his end of the firehose-like tool. Boles, carrying the other end, walked along the top of the wagon, then down the side of it and onto the Hunter’s hull. They slowly made their way toward the port hatch, the long hose-like tool stretched out between them.

The Hunter lurked in dark mode.

“One hour, 27 minutes to complete Operation Hermit Crab. If there had been a ship in this system, we wouldn’t have had a chance,” said Pep.  
Napoleon Boles and Geoff Alstars were on the bridge.  
“As it is, it may be just enough time,” said Dolphin. “That thing was big - and fast.”  
“Warp 9.97,” Tauk said. “But we don’t know whether they were running flat out after us or just cruising.”  
“What are the chances they saw us?” Pep asked.  
“We should operate under the assumption they did,” said Tauk. “And if so, they should be able to sniff us out here if they go looking for thruster emissions. Given the capabilities and staffing of a ship that large, they might sniff those emissions out even if they’re not looking for us.”  
“Can they trace us to this asteroid?” asked Pep.  
“We jetted around several asteroids while Geoff and Napoleon were building this structure and I don’t think they will be looking for a structure like this. Unless they hover just outside our door here, they shouldn’t be able to read us as long as we stay in dark mode,” Tauk replied.  
“I think I can reconfigure the reconfigurator to handle about four times the flow,” said Alstars. “But handling the other end - this is a manual process - Napoleon, could you manage that kind of an increase in volume?”  
“Bring it on,” Boles responded.  
“With that kind of modification, how quickly could we replicate Operation Hermit Crab?” asked Pep.  
Alstars ran his fingers through his thick mane of grey hair, causing it to fluff out, making him look somewhat like a lanky, elderly lion. He looked over at Boles. “Depending on the composition of the asteroid, 20-40 minutes?”  
Boles ran a blue hand over his hairless, blue scalp, squeezed the back of his neck. “You have to take practice into account. Now that I’ve built one of these, with the improvement Geoff is talking about, I could have built this garage in 15 minutes.”

“That romulan battlegod is entering the system now,” said Tauk. “It has diverted to the asteroid belt.”  
“On screen,” said Pep.  
The viewscreen changed to display an image of the new romulan ship moving slowly in relation to an asteroid that was about 1/3 the size of the battlegod.   
“That asteroid is just a little smaller than the U.S.S. Milky Way,” said Tauk.  
Everyone on the bridge just looked silently at the ship the romulans were calling a battlegod. It was similar in design to the romulan warbird, with the beak pointed more forward than downward and a much larger wing structure supporting enormous twin nacelles on either side.

“That thing is a monster,” Dolphin observed. “The warbird is bigger than the Galaxy class, but that thing is much, much bigger than the Milky Way. The romulans just have to do everything bigger.”  
“Wait till they see the U.S.S. Ark,” said Pep. He turned toward Ensign Alstars and Lt. Boles, who were staring, slack-jawed, watching the romulan behemoth on the viewscreen. “What are you two doing on the bridge? Get down to engineering and reconfigure that - whatever you called it. We may need it soon if Goliath here sniffs us out.”

Boles and Alstars exchanged glances, then hurried off the bridge.

18.1


	113. Episode 18.2 - World on Fire: The Hemra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The hemra are one of many pre-warp species the romulans enslaved. But a very capable lot as they were on the verge of inventing FTL travel when they were enslaved. Thousands of them work onboard the romulan battlegod - the I.R.W. Fero...
> 
> _“Not just on the slaves from Saketh,” said Ranni. “They’re dependent on Saketh itself. Saketh is a very fertile world. There are nearly a billion romulans settled there along with the Hemra. That planet supports several billion romulans in this part of their empire. And the romulans have found a gamma wave front about 300 light years from that planet. So in 300 years, Saketh will be a dead world.”_  
_“Do you think Dr. Carrera can get the Hulk working in time to save it?” asked Lynarr._  
_“It’s already too late,” said Dr. Moon. “That gamma wave front has already passed through the Hulk. Saketh is a doomed world. As is Gamorlan.”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The hemra will return in a later episode and will become vitally important. I haven't written that episode yet. I just started Ep 24, which will focus on a civil war among the trill. I think the hemra will return in 26, so it will be close to the end of the series. I think (at this moment) that the last Episode will be 29. I have the last scene pretty much in mind, but I have quite a few stories to tell before we get there...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 2: The Hemra

18.2  
The Hemra

Ensign Tolon Reeves was just beginning his day. He had enjoyed a slow, sleepy awakening next to Midshipman Sif, who, despite her slight build, had a tendency to snore. She swore that he snored as well, so it seemed fair enough. He was in the sonic shower when Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace contacted him telepathically. There was a politeness to the way that the betazoids reached out to him - except in the field, they generally left all such communication to Rumi and she only reached out to him telepathically when it was important. Even then, unless it was desperately important, she would leave a slight touch in his mind, like a hand on his shoulder, and wait for him to acknowledge it. Even as he was cleaning himself, he could tell she had waited until he was fully awake and had left Sif’s sleeping/escape pod.

_Go ahead, Rumi_, Reeves thought.  
_That romulan battlegod out there is called the I.R.W. Fero_. Telepathic contact with Rumi was very much like hearing her voice in his mind - only a little faster. _We opened to sense if there were any telepaths aboard. The romulans are not telepathic, at least not unless you touch them. But there are almost 90,000 slaves of a species we have not encountered before. One of them gave Ranni a lot of information. I think you should hear it. I think everyone should hear it_.  
_Tell her to prepare to report verbally_. Reeves almost had to speak aloud - just short of it to think the words he needed for Rumi to hear. He was grateful she did not reach any further into his mind than just the surface. He was equally grateful the betazoids had somehow turned out to be a society dedicated to non-violence. The idea of a conquering race of powerful telepaths was nothing short of terrifying.

Fifteen minutes later, the senior staff with the exceptions of Pep, Dolphin and Tauk, who were still on the bridge, were gathered in the executive conference room, along with 2nd Lt. T’Lon, and the remainder of the Ground Operations Department.  
“There are nearly 90,000 slaves aboard the I.R.W. Fero,” said Ranni. She was seated at one end of the conference table between Ensign Tolon and Chief Grace. Justice Minerva Irons was seated at the other end, along with Dr. Tali Shae, Lt. Cmdr. Mlady and Lt. Moon Sun Salek. The two other betazoid tactical specialists, Veri Geki and Dasare Eba were seated around the table as well as Investigator Buttans Ngumbo and Special Agent Anana Lynarr.  
“They are almost indistinguishable from humans and betazoids in looks and very highly educated. They have a different form of telepathy - one of them noticed me when I was testing for telepaths and transferred a vast amount of his memories to me. But this is a kind of death-bed process. They cannot normally communicate telepathically - when they do, it quite literally kills them.”  
“So was he dying when he, um, noticed you?” asked Special Agent Lynarr. Unlike Dr. Boles, Lynarr was completely bolian. Her skin was the lighter, powder blue most commonly seen among her people. The vertical bifurcating ridge that ran from her forehead to her chin was more pronounced than that of the half-bolian epidemiologist.  
“He wanted to,” Ranni replied. “Physically he was fine, but he had been singled out because of his looks and had been repeatedly raped. Romulans are not kind to their slaves. He realized that I was not one of his kind and he wanted to let me know about his people. They’re from Saketh, but that is not their homeworld. They call themselves the Hemra. They came to Saketh on a generational ship traveling close to the speed of light. Their homeworld is in the Dead Zone - it was sterilized long ago by the gamma radiation. They had built up a population into the hundreds of millions on Saketh. Set – that was his name – believed they might have been within a century of developing warp technology when the romulans enslaved them. Apparently the remans were nearly wiped out in the Hobus event and many of the survivors scattered. The romulans needed a new slave population to replace the remans.”  
“I didn’t realize the romulans were so dependent on slaves,” said Agent Lynarr.  
“Not just on the slaves from Saketh,” said Ranni. “They’re dependent on Saketh itself. Saketh is a very fertile world. There are nearly a billion romulans settled there along with the Hemra. That planet supports several billion romulans in this part of their empire. And the romulans have found a gamma wave front about 300 light years from that planet. So in 300 years, Saketh will be a dead world.”  
“Do you think Dr. Carrera can get the Hulk working in time to save it?” asked Lynarr.  
“It’s already too late,” said Dr. Moon. “That gamma wave front has already passed through the Hulk. Saketh is a doomed world. As is Gamorlan.”  
“Was he able to tell you where that ship is going?” asked Justice Irons.  
“He did not know the name, but he had heard some of the guards talking about it. From his description, it pretty much has to be Gamorlan. Volcanoes, endless lightning storms, what’s left of the forests are dying. And a gamma wave is approaching. It will engulf the planet and kill whatever is left in 32 years.  
“David,” said Irons, “where is that battlegod?”  
Pep’s voice came over the comm system from the bridge: “It’s right at our doorstep…”

18.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Set  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Hemra  
Hometown/Homeworld: ?, Saketh  
Introduced: Episode 18.2  
Age when introduced: 20  
Role: Slave


	114. Episode 18.3 - World on Fire: The Imperial Romulan Warship Fero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter - the smallest starship in the Federation is nose to nose with the I.R.W. Fero - the largest starship in the Alpha Quadrant (except a borg cube).
> 
> _Suddenly, the battlegod pivoted, bringing the nose to point almost directly at the U.S.S. Hunter in its hiding place. Everyone on the bridge gasped - poised to take action at Pep’s order. “Steady,” Pep said softly. The crew was frozen, barely daring to breathe..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Uncomfortable things happen when you're too close to a forming warp shell...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 3: The Imperial Romulan Warship Fero

18.3  
The Imperial Romulan Warship Fero

All eyes on the bridge of the U.S.S. Hunter were glued to the window, which offered the only view out of the makeshift hanger. All systems on the Hunter were off with the exception of basic life support and even that was relegated to medical, where all non-essential crew, including the Ground Operations Department, were now gathered. Interior lights were off, leaving only the dim blue glow of luminescent wall panels that allowed the crew enough illumination to find their way from one room to the next. All doors were open to allow passive air movement so that life support could be minimized.   
Outside of the hastily crafted cavern, those on the bridge could see first the monstrous nose of the I.R.W. Fero, about 1,500 meters from the opening, eclipsing much of the open space behind it that was visible to the Hunter's crew. Then the massive split wing structure, then, only about a hundred meters outside the cavern, only details of the enormous dual nacelle on the port side of the ship. It was already moving extremely slowly, then slowed to a stop.

Commander David Pepper was still in the captain’s chair. Justice Minerva Irons was standing just to his left, her hand on his massive shoulder. “Steady,” she said, very softly. In front of them, they could see the rivets on the plates of the port dual nacelle and part of the gas chamber, revealed by transparent aluminum, glowing green, pulsing with the hydrogen intermix that helped translate monstrous amounts of power into a warp field. Gradually, the gasses brightened, glowing brighter and brighter.  
Suddenly, the battlegod pivoted, bringing the nose to point almost directly at the U.S.S. Hunter in its hiding place. Everyone on the bridge gasped - poised to take action at Pep’s order. “Steady,” Pep said softly. The crew was frozen, barely daring to breathe. Gradually, the nose raised higher, exposing several disruptor cannon banks, then a huge bank of torpedo tubes, then, gradually, the underside of the massive I.R.W. Fero.   
Lt. Cmdr. Mlady, now standing at the tactical/communications station, said, very quietly, “Rock quake. Something is causing this asteroid to vibrate. This hangar is about to come apart around us.”

“Standby for navigation screens on my mark,” Pep said. “Not until I say…”

The tremors were now visible, cracks appearing in the hangar around the Hunter. The cavern shook hard suddenly. The monstrous romulan battlegod seemed to elongate as it warped out of the system. Large chunks of the rough-hewn hangar came loose.   
“Mark!” Pep shouted. The Hunter’s navigation screens came up, just in time to protect the hull from large chunks of rock - the cavern ripped apart by the close contact with the Fero’s warp field.  
“Kenny, minimum power, thrusters only, get us clear,” Pep said.  
Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin swiftly and deftly maneuvered the Hunter free from the storm of shattered rock, into the space the I.R.W. Fero had just vacated and brought the Hunter around to face the direction the Fero had taken.  
Next to Dolphin, 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor checked her navigational screen. She turned to look at Pep: “They are headed straight to Gamorlan.”

18.3


	115. Episode 18 - World on Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter is en route to the planet Gamorlan, on a secret mission deep inside Romulan territory, there to stop a plot to develop a deadly bio-weapon...
> 
> _"The leader’s job is to help people transcend hate and fear, not just by overcoming it, but by strategically transferring it to the next antagonist..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The prophecy of Julian Bashir starts to come true and the transformation of Justice Minerva Irons is underway...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire

Episode 18 – World on Fire

_ “Hate and fear are powerful tools. Entire populations will reinvent worlds, traverse impossible distances, invent new technologies in response to hate and fear. They will meet and exceed their fondest peacetime dreams in the furtherance of war. It is the difference between wanting to do a thing and needing to do a thing. With hate and fear, the weak become strong. Without hate and fear, the strong grow weak. The hope, goodwill, inspiration and genius of a people must always be supplemented with hate and fear. But a leader can never succumb to these emotions. The leader’s job is to help people transcend hate and fear, not just by overcoming it, but by strategically transferring it to the next antagonist.” _

_Pomm Irons - Introduction to _ _Bajor Set Free: The Bajoran Resistance, The Maquis Rebellion, The Dominion War and the Fall of the Cardassian Empire_ _._

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady

.  
Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim  
.  
Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth (last name rhymes with Booth)  
Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq (last name rhymes with Chocolate)  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar  
.  
Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Special Agent Anana Lynarr, Trantor Police Intelligence Division (temporary assignment)  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace  
Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba (rhymes with Cabaret Nina)  
Tactical Specialist Veri Geki  
Tactical Specialist Ranni Neivi  
.  
Director of Engineering - Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	116. Episode 18.4 - World on Fire: Signals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter gathers 233 years of Gamorlan electronic transmissions and learn much about the mysterious gamorlan culture...
> 
> _The bolian special agent from Trantor gestured toward the holographic projection of the unbearably cute aliens. “These people exterminated their entire species at the behest of their religious leaders...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
So if you are moving faster than light, your sensors could conceivably quickly record the entire electrons transmission while traveling through them...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 4: Signals

18.4  
Signals

Gamorlan was the sixth planet out from its star, a star system nestled precariously near the border of romulan space with the Dead Zone and the Klingon Empire. Since the Dead Zone was invading romulan space, the great machine known as the Hulk had already drifted into position between this star system and the distant Gamma Gun Galaxy that had produced the deadly gamma wave fronts nearly two billion years previously. The romulans had charted a gamma wave that had made it through the no longer effective protective barrier of the Hulk and would, moving at light speed, reach the Gamorlan system and sterilize everything in it within 32 years.  
Two large dwarf planets that had been in close orbits had collided with each other sometime during the past two hundred years, filling the system with astonishing amounts of rocky debris. The U.S.S. Hunter caught a ride on a large asteroid traveling back inward toward Gamorlan. It took Ensign Geoff Alstars and Lt. Napoleon Boles only 20 minutes to construct a hanger out of the native asteroid rock in which to hide the Hunter. This time the wagon and the two interceptors had separate access ports.

“So the Saketh star system is about 270 light years from here,” mused Justice Minerva Irons, massaging her neck.   
“Almost due +90 degrees absolute z,” replied 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor. “Almost the mean center of the galactic disk at this distance from the galactic center. The gamma wave that will sterilize this system in about 30 years is the same wave that will kill Saketh in about 300 years – moving at the speed of light.”  
The senior staff was again assembled in the executive conference room, along with 2nd Lt. Gamor and Special Agent Anana Lynarr.

“It turns out that Special Agent Lynarr is a signals expert,” said Lt. Tauk, the U.S.S. Hunter’s Director of Ground Operations. “With my authorization, she installed a program designed to identify and collect intelligent use of radio frequencies. Over the past three days of travel we passed through and collected the entire radio wave broadcast of the pre-warp Gamorlan culture – a period of broadcasting that lasted 223 earth years and ended a little over 170 years ago. Apparently, none of the indigenous people of Gamorlan are still alive. Their last automated radio signal ended well over 150 years ago. Lynarr will provide more detail.”  
The young bolian special agent from the Trantor Police Intelligence Division stepped to the end of the conference table where presenters usually stood. “As with most cultures using radio signals for communication, the Gamorlan culture started with binary code, then more complicated code. It took them about 20 years to begin to send audio signals…” As she spoke, the holographic display used traditional representations of coded radio signals to provide a visual aid. “…finally graduating to full color audio-visual transmissions within 40 years after learning how to use radio signals.”  
“Did they have space travel?” asked Justice Irons.  
“Slow and local,” Lynarr replied. “They never went any farther than low orbit of their planet with anything except robots. Never sent anything out of their solar system that I saw any record of. This is a fair sample of what they looked like - Hunter?

While no one actually cooed, Rumi Grace and her other betazoid squad members could hear and feel everyone else in the room suppressing that reaction. There was something about the people of Gamorlan that was desperately, unbearably… cute. Big eyes, soft, heart-shaped faces with a fine covering of downy fur.

“They developed space flight within 10 years of being able to transmit monochrome audio-video,” Lynarr continued. “They had about 40 major political divisions world-wide, claiming territory, speaking slightly different languages, and following variations of a single, world-wide religion. Which lead to ferocious wars that would put them back a few decades, then one territory or another would re-start their space program from scratch.”  
“They had known for hundreds of years that the 4th and 5th planets in the system were on a collision course. They calculated it down to the hour and were well aware that it would be devastating to Gamorlan - wiping out their culture and probably their species. A coalition of territories came up with a plan - a good one. They had the technology to gradually pull both planets into different orbits. But with all the wars and having to restart their space programs over and over, they missed their window.”  
Dr. Tali Shae leaned forward, her antennae focusing on the holographic representation of an unbelievably cute alien. “So planets 4 and 5 collided on schedule and destroyed all the life on the 6th planet?”|  
“Not all life. Most of it. But the Gamorlan species became extinct more than 80 years before the collision. Another war. Biological weapons - 100% effective. They wiped themselves out. They had missed dozens of opportunities to save their world and killed each other off in a massive world war before their solar system could do it for them.”  
“What were all these wars over,” asked Lt. Moon Sun Salek, “resources?”  
“It doesn’t seem so,” Lynarr responded. “Actually, Gamorlan was one of those rare super planets, like Romulus, Bajor, and Earth - abundant with life and natural resources. From what I can tell, there was one primary religion worldwide that had a few dozen different regional variations. It seems they were fighting over slight doctrinal differences - the correct substitution for sacrifice of their firstborn children, which hour of the day the main prayers were to be said… Probably most importantly, which of about four or six lineages from the first prophets was the ‘true’ lineage and had a divine right to set dogma…”

The bolian special agent from Trantor gestured toward the holographic projection of the unbearably cute aliens. “These people exterminated their entire species at the behest of their religious leaders.”

18.4


	117. Episode 18.5 - World on Fire: Flare Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter is in the Gamorlan system. But how to get to the planet without being spotted by the Romulans? Unlike romulan ships, the Hunter, while naturally stealthy, does not have a cloaking device.
> 
> _"Since the romulans have little experience with recursive warp, our warp signature should appear to be just a feature of the solar flare. We have set up a window so that we can arrive on the opposite side of Gamorlan from that romulan freighter, enter the atmosphere masked by the solar flare... and employ operation Hermit Crab to hide the Hunter on the surface of Gamorlan for the duration of the mission...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Hopefully this will seem a scientifically valid way to sneak up on a planet...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 5: Flare Up

18.5  
Flare Up

The U.S.S. Hunter remained in dark mode for four days, slowly moving past the 8th planet, hidden inside a rocky asteroid, tracking traffic patterns around Gamorlan and throughout the planetary system. Until the destruction of Romulus and the need for food aid to be provided, only a very few in the Federation had ever seen a romulan freighter. There had been four of these slow, ponderous ships in the Gamorlan system when the Hunter was building its rocky cocoon. The battlegod I.R.W. Fero spent nearly an entire day in the system, most of that time in close orbit of Gamorlan. Its presence helped provide scale for the freighters – they were also very large.   
During the day that the Fero was present in the system, eight freighters arrived and two of the initial four left. Seven freighters left the system shortly after the Fero left and another two left the next day. The remaining freighter was parked in geosynchronous orbit. At this point, the Hunter and its asteroidal camouflage had passed through the orbits of the 7th planet and Gamorlan’s orbit and were en-route to the very active asteroid belt that was all that was left of the 4th and 5th planets in the system.

“The only way to mask our approach to the planet from the romulans currently in orbit is to surf a solar flare,” said Dr. Moon Sun Salek, the U.S.S. Hunter’s Director of Engineering. Justice Minerva Irons and Lt. Cmdr. Mlady were in the engineering conference room, along with Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin, Director of Flight Operations, his assistant director, 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor, Assistant Engineering Director, 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui, Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars and navigators Johanna Imex and Eli Strahl.  
“Using recursive warp, we should be able to enter near solar orbit, keeping this system’s star between us and Gamorlan. This star, like most stars, rotates on its axis. If we modify a photon torpedo, transforming it into a deflector shield emitter, that can be used to generate a powerful magnetic field, which will spark a large solar flare, which we can aim directly toward Gamorlan. Dr. Alstars has already worked out the math:” Moon gestured to a clearboard, covered with arcane equations.   
“The math is fairly simple…” Alstars started.  
“The math is fairly simple for Dr. Alstars,” Moon corrected. She gestured toward Gamor, Imex and Strahl. “And has been verified by your navigation team. We use the moment of the magnetic burst in the star’s corona to come around in close orbit from behind the star and take position just in front of the solar flare. Then engage recursive warp at warp factor one so that we travel in front of the flare and with it at the speed of light. Since the romulans have little experience with recursive warp, our warp signature should appear to be just a feature of the solar flare. We have set up a window so that we can arrive on the opposite side of Gamorlan from that romulan freighter, enter the atmosphere masked by the solar flare, send out the wagon and the interceptors and employ operation Hermit Crab to hide the Hunter on the surface of Gamorlan for the duration of the mission.”  
“Salek, when will your operational window open next?” Irons asked.  
“In 2 hours, 27 minutes,” Dr. Moon replied. “And the next opportunity will occur 29 hours after that. If we miss both windows, we will need a different plan – it will be over a month before we get this opportunity again.”  
“And our exit strategy?” Irons asked.  
“Break out of hiding, get to an altitude of 100 meters, dock the interceptors and the wagon and jump to warp 9 in standard configuration, then switch recursive warp at factor 12 as soon as we clear the atmosphere,” said Dr. Moon.  
“That would be very destructive to the planet.” Dolphin observed.  
“That is part of the plan,” 2nd Lt. Sun replied. “We will be parked in the middle of a hotspot for a massive caldera. The presence of a factor 9 warp shell within 100 meters of the crust will bring more than a million tons of magma through the surface, setting off a supervolcano larger than all the volcanos currently active on the planet.”  
Justice Irons stood up. “Approved. Kenneth, we need to meet with the Ground Operations Department and your flight team to go over what the mission actually entails.”

18.5


	118. Episode 18.6 - World on Fire: Gamorlan Ground Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter's leadership and Ground Operations Department go over their mission plans while riding to their destination in the wagon...
> 
> _“Our purpose here is to deny the romulans – or anyone else – access to the gamorlans’ biological weapon,” Pep said..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I enjoy mission briefings in loud, dangerous conditions - just brings things to life a little...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 6: Gamorlan Ground Mission

18.6  
Gamorlan Ground Mission

Special Agent Anana Lynarr sat at her station (that had previously been assigned to Lynhart Shran). Her eyes were glued to her viewscreens. She ran a blue hand over her hairless blue scalp and squeezed the back of her neck, then returned her hand to her station controls, constantly making tiny adjustments. With her other hand she occasionally adjusted something that looked like an oversized licorice stick protruding from her mouth, which she gnawed on ceaselessly, staining her lips and tongue black. Whatever this food or snack was, it was evidently pungent – when Lt. Tauk walked by, his eyes immediately started watering. The little ferengi was coughing hard by the time he got to his desk. He opened a cabinet, retrieved a breather and strapped it firmly to his mouth and nose before going to work at his station. He and Lynarr were the only people left in ground ops. The rest of the team was on assignment.  
Lynarr had been studying the sensor network the romulans had installed in orbit of Gamorlan. The powerful solar flare caused these sensors to shut down for a few seconds to protect themselves from damage. When they reactivated, a significant amount of new software loaded into their operating systems, allowing Lynarr not only to receive their feed, but also to use a cascade of sensor loops to disguise the progress of the interceptors and the wagon across the surface of the violent and ruined world. This would have been impossible on a peaceful planet, but the clouds of volcanic ash and static from ongoing volcanic eruptions planetwide provided an abundance of cover to mask the progress of these small vessels close to the violent surface of the planet.

In the operation staging booth in the back of the wagon, Commander David Pepper was going over a few details with the strike force, consisting of himself, Lt. Cmdr. Mlady, 2nd Lt. T’Lon, Ensign Tolon Reeves, Investigator Buttans Ngumbo, and Tolon’s squad of betazoid tactical specialists: Chief Rumi Grace, Ranni Neivi, Veri Geki and Dasare Eba. An unexpected addition to this group was the vulcan flight engineer, Tomos.  
“Our purpose here is to deny the romulans – or anyone else – access to the gamorlans’ biological weapon,” Pep said. “But first we must ascertain how much of this research has already been moved off-world and if so, where. While everyone here, with the exception of Tomos, is a trained fighter, we have essentially two functional groups – telepaths and their protectors.”  
The wagon bucked hard, giving everyone a jolt as it travelled at low altitude over an active volcano. Pep continued: “Given the difference in the way telepathy works for betazoids and vulcans, we will separate into two teams. Reeves here will take his squad, who can establish and break telepathic contact without requiring physical contact and therefore can protect one another effectively.”  
Ensign Tolon Reeves spoke up. “This is the sort of mission that Rumi selected and trained her team for. Romulans are very resistant to telepathy, but we may be able to obtain information from their slaves. Physically, romulans are as strong as vulcans, far stronger than klingons or humans or the rest of us. If we get into hand-to-hand combat, remember their strength. Do not try to block their blows. Evade, evade, evade, evade. Unless you want a broken arm.”  
“Because Tomos and T’Lon have to use mind-melds,” Pep continued, “their telepathic contact will take longer and be far more dangerous. But those forms of telepathy will be far more effective with romulans than what our betazoid squad members can do. Mlady is our most effective telepath – not really a telepathic ability – she can hook directly into a romulan’s nervous system, but she has to either claw or bite them to do so. Ngumbo and I will provide primary protection for these three. We have identified two facilities, so one team for each facility.”  
“Special Agent Lynarr identified two separate operations from romulan transmissions and our telemetry of this planet,” said T’Lon. “The romulans are mining tons of ores from this planet, which is why that freighter is parked in near orbit. It is actually an off-world ore processing center. It remains in geosynchronous orbit above the primary mining operation.”   
The wagon shook briefly as it traveled close over a chain of active volcanoes. Lt. Cmdr. Mlady continued the briefing. “The biological research stations are located in one of the best preserved of the Gamorlan cities. Apparently, the romulans simply took over and modified the gamorlan research facilities. The gamorlans were a small people – I would be a giant among them. So the romulans have probably built passageways that are useful for them. Smaller passageways that we cannot easily walk upright in are probably unused. These might make good hiding places but they would also be easy to become trapped in.”  
“How do we have so much detailed information about their architecture?” asked Tomos.  
“Special Agent Lynarr is very thorough,” T’Lon answered. “We obtained a great amount of their languages, so your universal translators have been programmed with the gamorlan languages as well. Since they’re extinct, we won’t encounter any live specimens, but they may have left behind recorded messages that could be helpful to this mission.”  
“We are two minutes from landing,” said Pep. “Set your phasers to heavy stun. Romulan soldiers wear ablative armor, so a hit on the stun setting won’t do much to them. Switch to the deadly force setting if you encounter armored romulans.”

18.6


	119. Episode 18.7 - World on Fire: The Little Folk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter's tactical squad encounters Krull, the giant klingon hero... and real living gamorlans... 
> 
> _Tolon and his team advanced cautiously. Krull crowded back into the room he had emerged from. Two more romulans lay dead crumpled on the floor. In a cage, were four evidently elderly but still devastatingly cute aliens. They looked up at Tolon and his team with big, sad eyes._  
_“I thought the gamorlans were extinct!” exclaimed Dasare Eba. She closed her eyes for a second, then said, “They’re clones? Clones!”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The gamorlans are unbelievably cute. Until you get to know them...

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 7: The Little Folk

18.7  
The Little Folk

The city was similar to human cities, but on a small scale. The architecture was finished largely with indigenous granite. Pep, at about 7’ tall, was able to peer into the bottom of 2nd story windows. While this city was unusually well preserved because of its distance from any active volcanos, there was a fine layer of reddish ash everywhere that the strike teams’ boots kicked up. The air was thick with ash, requiring everyone to wear breathers. Occasional breezes whipped up the ash, making the miniature city appear a hazy red. The sun could barely be seen overhead through the thick, dark clouds.  
After the two teams had walked past a few pint-sized city blocks from the aircraft landing facility in which the wagon and two interceptors were parked, they split with Ensign Tolon’s team headed along a side street and Commander Pepper’s team sticking to the main boulevard.

Ensign Tolon’s team arrived at their target facility first – a low, isolated building at the bottom of a ravine, through which a river of thick, muddy water pushed its way in grim waves filled with grit and ash. It was clear this building had been modified to accommodate people taller than its original builders – the front door had been replaced by a full-size door. It was equally clear that something was amiss – the door had been kicked in and was hanging by one hinge.  
Tolon and his four tall female tactical specialists split into two groups and quickly approached the broken door. Immediately inside the door, lying in crumpled poses that only the dead could find comfortable, were two romulan soldiers with holes burned through their armor and straight through their chests. Wisps of steam rising from their wounds testified that these kills were less than an hour old.  
“Klingon disrupter,” Tolon said. Veri Geki verified it with a tricorder.   
“You know it by the burn pattern?” asked Chief Rumi Grace.  
“I was a medical forensics examiner for nearly 25 years,” Tolon replied. “The burn patterns are very distinctive to the trained eye.”  
Dasare Eba closed her eyes for a moment. “There is a klingon in there. He has a romulan prisoner. He is very excited. Also just a little frightened. No other living romulans. I can sense some very strange minds – there could be living gamorlans inside as well.”  
“Okay – let’s go in,” said Tolon, “but be very careful. Klingons are our allies… Up to a point. Apparently we are running separate covert operations here, which is an item not covered in the Khitomer Accords. They don’t have to play nice here.”

Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace led the way, phaser rifle in hand, along a central corridor that had been built for people roughly half her size. All four women were more than 6’ tall and had to crouch to keep from bumping their heads on the ceiling. Only Tolon, about a foot shorter, was able to walk upright. Rumi pointed to large gouges in the ceiling and the walls.  
“So our klingon is tall, has really big shoulders and is wearing armor,” said Tolon.  
“And carrying a bat’leth,” Dasare Eba observed, pointing to what looked like a claw-mark in the wall.  
“Klingon warrior,” said Tolon.  
“That’s a good thing,” said Rumi. “It means he is driven by honor. Klingon pirates are far worse. No self-respect.”  
“I most heartily agree, Star Fleet” came an enormous voice from down the hall.

An enormous klingon – far larger than this hall could possibly manage – crouched out into the hall, having to bend nearly in half, a terrified looking romulan held in front of him. “This Ha’DIbaH has kept our new minuscule friends prisoner, kept them alive, extracting their blood to make bioweapons with!”   
Tolon looked in wonder. “Krull?”  
The giant warrior turned the romulan in his arms to face him: “ghe’torDaq IuSpet ‘oH DaqlIj’e’!” He effortlessly snapped the romulan’s neck and cast his newly dead body aside as if he were handling filth. He then turned his attention back to Tolon’s team.  
“You are shipmates of my friend, Doctor Pepper! Come, look at what these filthy petaQ had been keeping here…”

Tolon and his team advanced cautiously. Krull crowded back into the room he had emerged from. Two more romulans lay dead crumpled on the floor. In a cage, were five evidently elderly but still devastatingly cute aliens. They looked up at Tolon and his team with big, sad eyes.  
“I thought the gamorlans were extinct!” exclaimed Dasare Eba. She closed her eyes for a second, then said, “They’re clones? Clones!”  
Behind them, Krull carefully backed out of the room – then closed and locked the door. Dasare Eba turned and tried the door. It was an airlock door and was tightly sealed. A second later, the familiar whine of a transporter beam could be heard in the room as the five, unbelievably cute elderly alien clones were beamed out.

_* Ha’DIbaH_(meat)

_* ghe’torDaq IuSpet ‘oH DaqlIj’e’!_ (You are not worthy to join the honored dead!)

* _petaQ_ (misfit or deviant)

18.7


	120. Episode 18.8 - World on Fire: Grilled Possum-Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Meanwhile, back at the Federation Council Building in Nairobi, Kenya, Rear Admiral Serge Mykel Chekov is facing questioning by the Ivonovic Commission regarding the role of Star Fleet in the Fall of Vulcan...
> 
> _“You said you were headed toward Vulcan, Rear Admiral,” said Ivonovic. “But you and the 6th Fleet never arrived. Why?”_  
_“We were ordered to stand down.”_  
_“We?”_  
_“I was ordered to stand down,” Chekov corrected..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is part of the continuing story arc for Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic - and also a big moment for Rear Admiral Chekov and Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 8: Grilled Possum-Chicken

18.8  
Grilled Possum-Chicken

“I was horrified… These were not the ships I had asked for,” said Rear-Admiral Serge Mykel Chekov.

Testimony was being held in one of the large committee chambers in the Federation Council Building in Nairobi before the 30 members of the Commission on the Role of Star Fleet and Other Parties in the Fall and Surrender of Vulcan (or as it was more commonly called, the Ivonovic Commission).As chairman, Councilmember Emory Ivonovic had chosen the decor in the room. The chairs and table were black. The rest of the room was painted white with white curtains. The monochrome was a bit trying for the bolians and andorians in the room, largely because they were the only ones who could distinguish among the chaotic mismatched colors of black.  
Ivonovic was also dressed in monochrome - which a few others on the committee had copied, again to the dismay of the bolians and andorians, to whom the insane mismatch of black threads and materials was painful to the eye and in terrible taste.  
Rear Admiral Chekov, clad in the red uniform, was seated at a witness table, flanked by lawyers who were also Star Fleet officers - dressed in the black JAG uniforms with red piping, denoting command.

“You have the readings from the U.S.S. Milky Way,” Chekov continued, “our computers showed us the ships I had requested from the 1st and 9th fleets. It wasn’t until I saw the Vulcan squadron that I knew something was wrong. Then we started getting reports in from the captains - all the wrong captains. I left the bare minimum of ships needed to consolidate our hold on the Nausicaans and we made best speed to Vulcan. We had barely left the 110 Piscium system when we got the news that Vice Admiral Senvol had scuttled Starbase 18 and Vulcan had fallen.”  
“You said you were headed toward Vulcan, Rear Admiral,” said Ivonovic. “But you and the 6th Fleet never arrived. Why?”  
“We were ordered to stand down.”  
“We?”  
“I was ordered to stand down,” Chekov corrected.  
“There was more to that order, wasn’t there?” Ivonovic asked.  
“I received two separate orders. The first came from Admiral Jamaal El Fadil, Star Fleet Chief of Staff. He temporarily placed the 6th Fleet under my command. The second order was the order to stand down.”  
“And whom did that order come from, Rear Admiral?”  
“Mr. Chairman, the order to stand down came from Star Fleet Executive Director of Fleet Operations, Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart.”  
Ivonovic leaned back in his chair. Steepled his fingers. “Did you discuss the order with Fleet Admiral Stewart?”  
“It was a one-way communique, Mr. Chairman,” said Chekov “There was no way we could discuss it in real time. In this situation I had to assume that she was giving me all the information she could give me and that more information would be forthcoming.”  
“And what information ultimately was forthcoming?” Ivonovic asked.  
“We were informed that Vice Admiral Senvol ordered the surrender of Vulcan and the destruction of all Star Fleet assets immediately when the Romulan Senate Praetorian Guard decloaked. We were also, later informed that it was Admiral Senvol who arranged for the 6th Fleet to be redirected to 110 Piscium, along with the Vulcan interceptors.”  
“Wait a minute…” Ivonovic sat up, alert. “Weren’t the vulcan interceptors homeworld assets? Those were under the control of the Vulcan High Command. Under what authority did Vice Admiral Senvol send them anywhere?”  
Chekov took a deep breath. “I wish I knew, Mr. Chairman. But I am in Fleet Operations, not Star Fleet Intelligence. I am not authorized to investigate such matters and I did not begin such an investigation…”

A few hours later, Ivonovic caught up with Chekov, guided him into a side hall. Chekov waved his lawyers off.  
“Rear Admiral, this is a personal request and I will not speak of it with anyone else. Do you know the location of the U.S.S. Hunter?”  
“On secret assignment - that’s all I know. While the Hunter and its crew are Star Fleet, they are under the direction of the Tribunal - not Star Fleet operations or even Star Fleet Office of Judge Advocate General.”

18.8


	121. Episode 18.9 - World on Fire: Krull the Magnificent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The giant Commander David Pepper finds himself in a fight to the death with the greatest klingon warrior since QeylaS - Krull the Magnificent. Only it is not going to be a fair fight...
> 
> _The giant klingon warrior set Mlady down, along with the romulan - a female civilian - Mlady’s fangs still firmly embedded in her neck. Krull took two steps away from Mlady and her victim and pulled out a communicator: “jol ylchu’!” He tossed the communicator at Mlady. It landed between her and her romulan victim._ Lt. Cmdr. Mlady and her romulan victim disappeared in a haze of a transporter beam.<
> 
> _ “KKRRRRUUUUUUULLLLL!!!” bellowed Commander Pepper..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Krull and Pep are best friends. They wrote a hit song together (Dive Into the Sun). Friends getting into a fight to the death is one of the great staples of tragic/heroic klingon literature. And it occasionally happens in real life...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 9: Krull the Magnificent

18.9  
Krull the Magnificent

One of the advantages of having not just one but four betazoid tactical specialists was the ability to conduct ground operations with radio silence. If Tolon had used his communicator to report the unexpected presence of Krull (by many accounts - especially his own - the greatest klingon warrior since QeyliS), the romulans in orbit would have picked up the transmission and the research stations would soon be crawling with romulan soldiers.  
Using a system they had devised en-route to their mission, Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace updated Commander David Pepper about the presence of Krull, how the giant klingon had trapped Tolon and his team and beamed out the five living, elderly, unbelievably cute gamorlan clones with their big, sad eyes.  
Veri Geki provided a similar update to Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth, who was piloting the wagon. Ranni Neivi provided the same update to Lt. Cmdr. Kenny Dolphin, who was piloting Interceptor 1.A and Dasare Eba updated Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq, who was piloting Interceptor 2.A. They were similarly able to distribute Pep’s orders, which were, to the pilots: _Stay put. Look for klingon bird of prey, probably cloaked_. And to Tolon: _Get out of that trap and get here! Maintain radio silence._

The door to the laboratory was impenetrable, impervious to phaser fire. So Tolon had his team cut through the wall to get out. Running through the ash toward Pep’s position was treacherous: the clouds of ash made it difficult to breathe, difficult to run through, difficult to see. The other laboratory was atop a hill. “Go on ahead!” Tolon managed, wheezing as his four tall, long-legged female tactical specialists easily outpaced him running uphill in this bog of layers of ash.   
At the top of the hill, phaser and disruptor fire was being traded around the entrance of a much larger building than the one Tolon and his team had left. Pep had a phaser rifle in each hand and, along with T’Lon, Tomos and Investigator Buttans Ngumbo, was firing at the building while they retreated, covering the retreat of Krull, who was carrying a romulan with Lt. Cmdr. Mlady attached to its neck by her fangs.  
Chief Rumi Grace could hear Pep more or less screaming orders at her in his mind. She passed these along to the pilots.

Evidently, Lt. Cmdr. Dolphin had been monitoring the scene. First Interceptor 1.A, then Interceptor 2.A appeared from behind the hill and with their phaser cannon, swiftly and thoroughly demolished the building Pep’s team had retreated out of, then flew off. At this point, Rumi and her team were closer to Krull than Pep and the rest of his team.   
The giant klingon warrior set Mlady down, along with the romulan - a female civilian - Mlady’s fangs still firmly embedded in her neck. Krull took two steps away from Mlady and her victim and pulled out a communicator: “jol ylchu’!” He tossed the communicator at Mlady. It landed between her and her romulan victim.

Lt. Cmdr. Mlady and her romulan victim disappeared in a haze of a transporter beam.

“KKRRRRUUUUUUULLLLL!!!” bellowed Commander Pepper.

Chief Rumi Grace and her three companions were closer to the giant klingon at this point and attacked him first with phasers. Krull’s armor absorbed the phaser fire. The four women closed and attacked in a perfectly synchronized sequence - using their phaser rifles as truncheons.  
Even through Rumi and her team were each more than 6’ tall, they looked like gangling children next to Krull. Despite all their training and abilities, they simply did not have the mass to pose any threat to him. He caught Rumi’s arm and a handful of Ranni’s uniform and used their bodies to bowl Dasare and Veri over, sending all four of them tumbling back down the hill toward Tolon, knocking him down just as he arrived.

“Stand aside!!” Krull shouted. “This fight is not for you! This fight is between Krull, the Magnificent and the legendary Doctor Pepper!”  
“Krull! Send Mlady back!!” Pep shouted.   
The giant klingon warrior raised his enormous hands, did a pirouette. “Even if I wanted to, I could not. No communicator!” He swept an oversized bat’leth from his back - saluted Pep with the oversized, curved klingon sword. “But I told you long ago, my friend, that the day would come when we would meet on the field of battle! Today is a good day to die, my friend!”

To Tolon and his team the scene was like something from an ancient legend - or perhaps some ancient Japanese painting - two giant warriors at the top of a hill - silhouetted against a giant red, angry sun, setting behind them - the air a smoky haze of reddish ash. The enormous Krull - far larger than even the giant David Pepper - racing toward him - bat’leth raised over his head.   
Time seemed to move slowly - a series of still images - each moment recorded indelibly in their minds.

“I don’t have time for this Krull!!” Pep fired both his phasers at the giant warrior, keeping pencil thin cutting beams focused on the center of Krull’s chest plate. Smoke rose from the klingon’s armor as it ablated. The gradual destruction of his armor did not slow Krull down at all.

Then Kenny Dolphin, piloting Interceptor 1.A, emerged from behind a hill and targeted the great klingon warrior with the Interceptor’s phaser cannon. With a single, short blast, the klingon and his armor were obliterated.

Dolphin landed the interceptor near the scant remains of history’s self-proclaimed 2nd greatest klingon warrior, popped the canopy and hopped down out of the craft. Pep ran toward him at full speed.  
“Step aside, Kenny!”   
Dolphin dutifully stepped aside as Pep vaulted into the interceptor’s pilot seat - his sudden weight causing the craft to bounce on its landing gear.  
“Get everyone back to the Hunter and get out of here. NOW!” Pep shouted down at Dolphin, then lowered the canopy.   
Dolphin ran and tumbled downhill to avoid backwash from the thrusters as Pep launched the interceptor skyward. He came to his feet and shouted, “Dewayne - beam us up and get us airborne! Thyssi - follow Pep - he might need you up there!”

Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq, in Interceptor 2.A, took off skyward, following Pep.

Dolphin, Tolon and the remainder of the strike team dissolved into the transporter beam. As soon as they were onboard the wagon, Dolphin, took a seat next to Guth and called to the Hunter. “Minerva! Change of plans! We’re going to have to dock in orbit - let’s make that in orbit of G7. Dewayne - make that your course. Get us off this wretched planet…”

* _jol ylchu’!_(activate transporter)  
  


18.9


	122. Episode 18.10 - World on Fire: Gamorlan Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter makes good its escape from the dying planet Gamorlan - and hastens the planet's death...
> 
> _Boles raised a dark blue finger dramatically, then emphatically touched a control on the tactical console, in response to which streams of photon torpedoes spewed from all four of the Hunter’s torpedo tubes._  
_At the same time, the U.S.S. Hunter, hovering a mere 100 meters above a massive caldera, seemed to elongate, then went to Warp 9, bringing up tens of thousands of tons of blazing magma in its wake..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
A pivotal moment in Justice Irons' moral evolution...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 18: World on Fire  
Scene 10: Gamorlan Rising

18.10  
Gamorlan Rising

Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq goaded Interceptor 2.A to warp 3, following the warp trail of Interceptor 1.A. Pep’s warp trail was easy to follow, but she had no idea what he was following until she caught up with him. Interceptor 1.A was hot on the trail of a klingon bird of prey. The bird of prey decloaked, re-cloaked, decloaked again - as if the cloaking device were malfunctioning.   
At warp 3, all three vessels were swiftly leaving the Gamorlan solar system. Then the bird of prey re-cloaked and Interceptor 1.A dropped out of warp.   
Thyssi dropped out of warp and flew back to the derelict Interceptor 1.A to find it drifting, pilotless. Her readings showed the canopy escape transporter had been used - Pep had transported himself from the interceptor onto the bird of prey.

Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth was headed skyward and hit warp 5 before exiting the atmosphere - which would have shredded any normal shuttlecraft. But the uparmored wagon was built to take additional stress. As soon as he had cleared the atmosphere, he brought the shuttle up to its top speed of warp 6.

“Change of plans.” Justice Minerva Irons sat up in the captain’s chair on the bridge of the U.S.S. Hunter, currently hidden in a rocky cocoon built on top of a massive caldera. “We’ll dock with the other units later. Prepare to take us up, Ethan.”  
Ensign Ethan Phillips, who had been almost lounging in the pilot’s seat, sat bolt upright, shook his head quickly and said, “Aye, Captain…”   
Irons smiled. “Napoleon, it’s time to break an egg.”  
Lt. Napoleon Boles was standing at the tactical station behind the captain’s chair. “Oh goodie, I love breaking things.” He played the console as if it were a pipe organ and a cascade of phaser fire from the U.S.S. Hunter’s phase cannons cut the rocky shell the ship had been hiding under into chunks that were blown outward as the Hunter’s shield expanded.  
It took a few seconds for the Hunter’s thrusters to bring the ship up to a minimum altitude.  
“100 meters, Captain,” Phillips said.  
“Photon torpedoes, Napoleon - full spread,” said Irons. “Ethan - warp 9 - engage!”  
Boles raised a dark blue finger dramatically, then emphatically touched a control on the tactical console, in response to which streams of photon torpedoes spewed from all four of the Hunter’s torpedo tubes.   
At the same time, the U.S.S. Hunter, hovering a mere 100 meters above a massive caldera, seemed to elongate, then went to Warp 9, bringing up tens of thousands of tons of blazing magma in its wake.

As the Hunter cleared the atmosphere, its photon torpedoes circled the planet and buried themselves into inactive volcanoes and calderas scattered across the face of Gamorlan, then exploded, each with the power of several hundred hydrogen bombs combined. Within a minute, the entire planet blossomed into a massive display of volcanic eruptions.   
As the Hunter warped out of orbit, the monstrous I.R.W. Fero was just arriving, coming out of warp into low orbit - just in time to get caught up in a planetary magnetic shift, which played havoc with all the ship’s systems, knocking out power on both the Fero and the romulan freighter that was parked in orbit, leaving both ships incapacitated as magma spewed up over and over, sparking enormous bolts of lightning that struck both ships.  
The Fero regained power enough to pull into a higher orbit, then lost power again just in time for an enormous chunk of newly solidified magma to smash through the lower port wing and the tail, causing the ship to tumble end over end. The powerless freighter, in a lower orbit, was swiftly riddled with planetary debris, breaking the ship into thousands of flaming, exploding pieces. The Fero regained enough power to right itself and break orbit before losing power again, small figures in EVA suits putting out fires and making emergency repairs to the broken sections that were open to space.

It took only a few moments for the wagon to pull into the Hunter’s shuttle bay. The Hunter then caught up with the interceptors. Flight Specialist Dih Terri beamed over to Interceptor 1.A and docked it immediately afterThyssi docked her craft.  
For about 20 minutes the Hunter searched around the area for any trace of the missing bird of prey and their missing crew members. Once it became clear that the I.R.W. Fero, despite the damage to its hull, was starting to limp through the system, beginning its own search pattern, Justice Irons ordered the U.S.S. Hunter to flee the star system…

18 – World on Fire


	123. Episode 19.1: The Ivonovic Commission: Bird Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Deep inside romulan space, low on supplies and with no weapons to speak of, the U.S.S. Hunter and crew are desperately seeking their lost 1st officer, Commander David Pepper and 2nd officer, Lt. Commander Mlady and the Klingon Bird of Prey that had whisked them away...
> 
> _"“So instead of trying to track a klingon bird of prey, you think we should take this, the smallest of federation ships, with phaser cannons that couldn’t even tickle a romulan warbird, much less a battlegod, fresh out of photon torpedoes, weeks out of starbase, running low on fuel and supplies, with the entire Romulan Star Empire between us and the federation and the gamma radiation laced Dead Zone at our backs and go hunting a wounded romulan battlegod?”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
You might recall Emory Ivonovic's humble beginnings in this story as a sketchy local politician in Episode 2 - under arrest for alleged violation of the Federation Charter. He has come a long way - now a Federation Councilmember heading up a commission that bears his name.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 1: Bird Hunting

19.1  
Bird Hunting

“I’m horrified…” Justice Minerva Irons was in her office. “Some of those…” she rolled her eyes. “Some of those adorable creatures had survived? I just destroyed their planet!” She looked down at her desk, eyes widened slightly. “90 years in Star Fleet - I never destroyed a planet before…” She massaged her neck and grimaced.  
“Their species was extinct, your honor,” said Ensign Tolon Reeves. “The five gamorlans we saw were clones. Dasare got it from Krull’s mind. Apparently the romulans created clones for experimentation from samples the gamorlan had left behind. They failed to get them to reproduce so were planning to create more clones for research. It seems Krull beat that much information out of the romulan he was interrogating before we showed up.”

The U.S.S. Hunter was following an extensive search pattern, well out of sensor range from the Gamorlan system, but jumping to direct points between the Gamorlan system and various nearby systems, seeking any evidence of a klingon warp trail. And finding only romulan warp trails. An increasing number of them.

“I should have anticipated the klingons would be there," Irons said. She grimaced and squeezed the back of her head. "David told me Krull only played at being the big dumb warrior. In David's opinion, Krull was the best covert operative the klingons ever had. Who knows how long Krull was aware that Pomm was running Pivin? I wouldn't be surprised if that bird of prey followed Pomm to Cun Ling, followed us from there to Vulcan and then intercepted and decrypted Pivin's signals. And now the klingons have what we were trying to deny to the romulans.”   
“Along with one of the romulans’ top researchers and Mlady, who is probably the one person who can drag all of that researcher’s secrets out of her,” observed Lt. Tauk.  
At the mention of Mlady’s name, Dr. Tali Shae took an audible breath. Her antennae were twitching almost rhythmically.   
“I’m more concerned about the klingons having Mlady,” said Irons.   
“Remember that Pep beamed over to that bird of prey,” said Tauk. “A bird of prey usually has a crew of 24. We know they lost Krull. Even if they have another warrior of that quality, with both Pep and Mlady on board, they probably have their hands full.”  
“If David were in control of that bird of prey, he would have found a way to communicate with us,” said Irons.  
“I have Anana on that,” T’Lon replied. “She has the specifications for a G-type bird of prey. Even if Pep can’t get control of it, if we get within 1.5 light years of where that bird has been in the past 12 hours, we should be able to trace it.”  
“That is quite an achievement.” Irons observed. “But out here, outside of the Gamorlan system, that is a very tiny needle in an enormous haystack.”  
“I think we’re looking at this the wrong way,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin. “Thyssi said that bird of prey was de-cloaking and re-cloaking. It sounds to me like that ship had problems before Pep beamed himself over to it. Pep may well have gotten control over it, but if it was badly damaged, he might not have been able to get very far. He would look for the nearest breathable atmosphere.”  
“That would be a problem,” said 2nd Lt. T’Lon. “After we destroyed Gamorlan, there was no breathable atmosphere anywhere within 100 light years. So if that bird of prey was so badly damaged, he wouldn’t have had many options.”  
“Not necessarily true,” Dolphin replied. “Let’s do a thought experiment. Damaged bird of prey but let's assume they got that cloaking device working. Thyssi said the bird disappeared just after Pep beamed over and it hasn't been seen since. So Pep and Mlady have to overcome about 30 klingons. Even assuming everything goes their way, that’s going to take at least 30 minutes. We would have left the star system well before then. So there was only one source of breathable atmosphere within 100 light years for a broken down bird of prey…”  
Irons, Tauk, Tolon and T’Lon looked at one another and said it together:

“The Fero!”

Dolphin nodded. “As much damage as that romulan battlegod took, Pep could have landed inside it. They could have flown right into that damaged wing section - from the telemetry we collected there must have been nearly 50 compartments open to space that were easily big enough to park a bird of prey in. If the cloaking device was still working, it could sit right there - the romulans could be standing right next to that klingon ship and look right through it. They wouldn’t know it was there unless they bumped into it.”  
“Then what?” asked Tauk.  
“Get whatever they need to fix a broken down klingon ship and get out before the romulans find them,” Dolphin replied. “That would include atmosphere, maybe food, water, tools, replacement parts, fuel… If it were me, I would sit tight, make sure I have a thorough shopping list, clearly identify where to find everything that I need, make sure the transporters are working and beam the whole lot into cargo in one go - hopefully timing it so that as soon as I hop off of the Fero, we’re close to something big that I can hide on - asteroid, moon, dust cloud, junk yard…”  
“Okay,” said Tolon, “You just jumped up a few rungs on my list of whom I would prefer to be stuck on a derelict bird of prey with.”  
“And up a rung on my list of people I want hunting a derelict bird of prey,” said Irons. “So instead of trying to track a klingon bird of prey, you think we should take this, the smallest of federation ships, with phaser cannons that couldn’t even tickle a romulan warbird, much less a battlegod, fresh out of photon torpedoes, weeks out of starbase, running low on fuel and supplies, with the entire Romulan Star Empire between us and the federation and the gamma radiation laced Dead Zone at our backs and go hunting a wounded romulan battlegod?”  
“Well, when you put it that way…” Dolphin raised his eyebrows.  
“So where do we start?” asked Irons.  
“Where is the nearest repair shop for a wounded romulan battlegod?” Dolphin asked   
Tauk answered. “Saketh. 270 light years away. Food, natural resources, atmosphere, water and most importantly…”  
“A highly educated, spacefaring slave labor force,” Tolon finished.

“Well, that was an enlightening discussion,” Irons remarked. “I actually need some time to think about this. Now, I need a moment with Tali and Kenneth…”  
Lt. Tauk stood up. “Okay, if you have less than three pips on your collar, get out,” he said and promptly left. Ensign Tolon and 2nd Lt. T’Lon both smiled as they followed their department director out of the captain’s office.

“Tali,” said Irons, “Sam’s going to have to do your job for a while. I am temporarily assigning you as Executive Officer until we get David back. Kenneth, until Mlady returns, I am temporarily assigning you as Chief of Operations. Gaia will need to run the Flight Operations Department for you. Treat them as David and Mlady treated you – supervise, don’t micro-manage. You will find there is a lot more to do than you realize.”  
“Minerva…” Tali started.  
“I mean it, Tali. Your office is now Sam’s office. Your cot is now Sam’s cot. Until David returns, you are sleeping in his stateroom. It doubles as an office. Kenneth – you will move out of the Directors Lounge and into the 2nd Officer’s stateroom. It also doubles as an office. You will need to turn your office in the shuttlebay over to Gaia.”  
  
"And replicate appropriate uniforms for yourselves," Irons continued. "I want to see red piping around those cuffs and collars, not blue or gold."

19.1


	124. Episode 19.2: The Ivonovic Commission: The I.K.V. 'Iw Hov

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Commander David Pepper has boarded the klingon bird of prey and things were already going very badly for the klingons...
> 
> _Pep made his way first to the bridge. He stepped to one side before opening the bridge door. A klingon with a gamorlan attached to him - tearing its way in to his chest, blew out into the hallway. The tiny alien turned its unbelievably cute face and big sad eyes toward Pep, then opened its mouth impossibly wide, displaying a mass of fangs..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The gamorlans were a very fun sort of alien for me to create. Perhaps a little inspired by gremlins...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 2: The I.K.V. 'Iw Hov

19.2  
The I.K.V. ‘Iw Hov

Commander David Pepper had transported into the cargo hold of the bird of prey, phaser rifle in hand. The emergency escape transporter in his interceptor included a replication circuit that had created and sealed an EVA suit around him when he beamed in. Seven dead klingons, a dead romulan and a dead gamorlan were in this room. It was a good thing Pep's EVA suit was sealed; something poisonous had been released in the hold and its atmosphere was thick with wisps of acrid gasses. The romulan had been shredded, her chest cavity opened and her organs splayed. The klingons had also suffered tremendous violence - their armor clawed off, bite marks all over their faces. Disrupter blasts had damaged nearly everything in the room, including a canister of drive plasma, which had been punctured. The tiny, sad looking gamorlan appeared to have died of asphyxiation.

“Mlady,” Pep said softly. The communicator embedded in his chest sent the signal tuned to her signal frequency.  
“Pep, are you on board?”  
“Where are you?”  
“I beamed myself into the brig to get away from the gamorlans,” Mlady responded. “They’re not just killing the klingons - they’re tearing this ship apart.”  
“Prepare to hold your breath,” said Pep. He walked to the back of the cargo bay, magnetized his boots, and opened the cargo hatch. He stood to the side as the bodies and pretty much anything not tied down was blown out of the cargo bay along with the atmosphere. Once the atmosphere was gone, he deactivated his magnetic boots, strode across the room and reactivated them before opening the door into the hallway. Atmosphere began venting continuously. He used his phaser to deactivate the shield emitter near the cargo hatch, then again the emergency shield emitter over the door into the cargo bay.   
Pep made his way first to the bridge. He stepped to one side before opening the bridge door. A klingon with a gamorlan attached to him - tearing its way in to his chest, blew out into the hallway. The tiny alien turned its unbelievably cute face and big sad eyes toward Pep, then opened its mouth impossibly wide, displaying a mass of fangs. It launched itself toward Pep at incredible speed, only to be eviscerated by Pep’s phaser, cutting the little monster nearly in half.  
“Mlady, do you still have air? Is there anyone else in your area?”  
“I have air. A klingon left just as I was beaming in. This compartment is sealed.”  
“Good, hold tight.”

Pep waited four minutes before walking onto the bridge. When he entered the bridge, he found two gamorlans gasping for air - one was under the pilot’s station, entangled in wires and receiving continuing shocks as it continued to dismantle the wiring. The other launched from the chest of a klingon toward Pep. If the creature had sufficient energy, it might have reached Pep – but lacking air, its leap was not very vigorous. Pep cut the gamorlan down with a phaser blast. Six dead klingons were scattered about the bridge, their armor torn aside and their organs eviscerated. Pep rolled one of the bodies over, drew the dead klingon’s jej’taj (throwing knife), hefted it appreciatively, then hurled it into the skull of the remaining gamorlan. The tiny alien jerked, turned over, then finally was still.  
The klingon captain had died in her command chair. Pep unhooked her from her restraints and shoved her body out of his way, then squeezed into the command chair. He closed the door and repressurized the bridge, then opened his helmet and activated a control on the arm of the command chair. The comm system opened a shipwide channel with a low end hum. Pep spoke:

“ja’ ghop Hoch”  
“brakk Udrus Rorger,” responded one female voice.  
Another female voice replied, “brakk Avor Firshok.”  
“Udrus, Avor, you are the only surviving members of your crew. This is Star Fleet Commander David Pepper. I am assuming command of the…” Pep looked around the bridge until he found the ship’s nameplate: “the I.K.V. ‘Iw Hov. Remain at your stations until I close outer doors and repressurize. Then I will need for you to begin repairs.”

  * _ja’ ghop Hoch_(All hands, report)
  * _brakk Udrus Rorger_(Crewmember Udrus of the House of Rorger, reporting)
  * _brakk Avor Firshok_(Crewmember Avor of the House of Firshok, reporting)
  * _‘Iw Hov_ (Blood Star)

19.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Brakk Udrus Rorger  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Klingon  
Hometown/Homeworld: Unknown  
Introduced: Episode 19.2  
Age when introduced: Unknown  
Role: Security Officer, I.K.V. ‘Iw Hov
> 
> Character: Brakk Avor Firshok  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Klingon  
Hometown/Homeworld: Unknown  
Introduced: Episode 19.2  
Age when introduced: Unknown  
Role: Security Officer, I.K.V. ‘Iw Hov


	125. Episode 19.3: The Ivonovic Commission: Emory's Greatest Hits on Subspace Radio Ivonovic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Ushi Irons reminds Emory Ivonovic of the man he used to be and persuades him to reach out to his fan base.
> 
> _"You are not the man you were when you arrived in Africa nearly a year ago. I need the man you have become. Your public needs the man you once were. It will take both of you to save the federation.”_
> 
> _“What have you got in mind, Ushi?”_  
_“There is an old vulcan proverb: Only Nixon could go to China...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Yet another step in the development of Emory Ivonovic... You might want to go back to Episode 2 where he was introduced to remember the man he once was...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 3: Emory's Greatest Hits on Subspace Radio Ivonovic

19.3  
Emory’s Greatest Hits on Subspace Radio Ivonovic

“In the past several decades we have increasingly invested Federation lives and resources into an interpretation of the Prime Directive that our ancestors did not intend. Star Fleet now stands watch over more than a dozen worlds to enforce the Prime Directive not only as a discipline, but as a principle. We fight battles and shed our blood to protect these primitive pre-warp societies against other space-faring races. Sometimes at the expense of our own colonies.”  
“All the orion slavers need do to raid a federation colony is to, at the same time, threaten a primitive species and Star Fleet races off to protect the so-called innocents. But if these same innocents were threatened by a stray asteroid tumbling toward their planet, Star Fleet would not lift a finger.”  
“We fought for generations to protect one such world, only to see them exterminate their own species, destroying their own habitat with industrial waste until they could no longer survive on their own planet. Nearly 150 years of protection from ferengi traders, orion slavers and nausicaan pirates. Hundreds of our people killed in battle all so that a doomed race of savages could die in ignorance, never knowing they were not alone in the universe.”

-*-

“Folks, I tell you, there is a vast conspiracy within the Federation. A conspiracy at the highest levels to create and maintain a new elite who will control our lives in the name of public service. A conspiracy to create a new race of super-beings - people whom you, your children and your grandchildren cannot hope to compete with. A race that will make us, the naturalborn, second class citizens in this Federation that our ancestors worked so hard to build. That our generation has shed blood to protect.”  
“The naturalborn movement is not a humans-only club, but is nearly universal among all the member species in the Federation who are concerned with this generation of genetically modified masters that are being bred for us.” 

-*-

“In the Federation, we are justly proud of our military prowess. We lost ships in skirmishes with the klingons and the romulans, so we built stronger, faster ships. The borg destroyed fleets of our ships. So we built more fleets. The cardassians defeated battalions of our ground forces, so we created and sent in twice as many battalions. The Dominion infiltrated and threatened our homeworld and in return we came within a breath of exterminating theirs. Tens of billions of people – from dozens of species – have come to rely on an apparently inexhaustible supply of human warriors, human explorers, human diplomats – an unfathomable well of human ingenuity and adaptability. We have become their champions. They shelter under our shields, they cheer our victories, they mourn our losses.”  
“We compare ourselves to the ancient Romans. When defeated, we only come back twice as strong and twice as determined. Like the ancient Romans, we stand watch over a vast empire. Like the ancient Romans we have found many, many people who are not us and have adopted them as us. We have incorporated the ancient wisdom of the vulcans and the military genius of the battle-hardened andorians. And like ancient Rome, our own people live in unprecedented opulence and comfort. We have built paradises out of barren rocks.”  
“But let me ask you, my proud fellow-citizen, whatever happened to those ancient Romans?”

-*-

“Do not lose contact with the soil. Human colonists have always been first and foremost farmers. Seeking fertile soil in which to plant their crop. Developing new uses for new crops to bring to market. My ancestors were farmers and I grew up on my grandparents’ farm, tilling the rocky but fertile soil of Pilgrim’s Landing on the Colony of New Hope.”  
“Now we use replicators to feed cities with populations in the tens and hundreds of millions. Entire generations grow up without knowing the soil. To them it is only dirt. They think replicators magically create food out of mid-air. There is no such magic.”  
“Replicators make food from compost, from waste products, from spoiled food. They make the indigestible digestible. And unseen to most city dwellers, they purify human waste to go back into the soil to feed the plants that feed us. But replicators need protein sequences to resequence. A starship crew cannot travel forever without soil. And we were not designed to subsist on resequenced compost.”  
“At some point you must go back to the soil. Set aside a year in your life to work the land. To stand in the sunlight. To hold fresh food in your hand. If you live in a city, garden. Make something grow that will give you fresh food to eat. That connection with the soil is the birthright of every human. It is what makes us human. And if at all you can, when your time has come, give your blood back to the soil that has given you life.”

19.3


	126. Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic is now chairing the commission to find out who was responsible for the Fall of Vulcan.  
The U.S.S. Hunter returns to romulan space to search for its missing 1st and 2nd officers, Commander David Pepper and Lt. Commander Mlady.
> 
> _“So many people long for the simpler times of their youth. The glorious past of their ancestors. This is how the majority of people fail to live..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I love giving barn burner speeches to the blind andorian emperor. He's just the right amount totally creepy...
> 
> This is the final episode of Series 2. Series 3 begins with Episode 20. 
> 
> I may pause for a week before posting Series 3. I am only now in the middle of writing Episode 24 and we are in the homestretch of finishing this story. I would like to have the whole thing written before I get to posting the middle of Series 3  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission

Episode 19 – The Ivonovic Commission

_“So many people long for the simpler times of their youth. The glorious past of their ancestors. This is how the majority of people fail to live. They hold on to fantasies of a time that never was...” _

_Emperor Sin IV – Speech before the Federation Council.  
  
_

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady

.  
Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim  
.  
Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth (last name rhymes with Booth)Z  
Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq (last name rhymes with Chocolate)  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar  
.  
Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Buttans Ngumbo  
Special Agent Anana Lynarr, Trantor Police Intelligence Division (temporary assignment)  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace  
Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba (rhymes with Cabaret Nina)  
Tactical Specialist Veri Geki  
Tactical Specialist Ranni Neivi  
.  
Director of Engineering - Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	127. Episode 19.4: The Ivonovic Commission: The Office of Ushi Irons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Federation Council Leader Ushi Irons summons Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic to his office...

Star Trek Hunter  
Episode 9: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 4: The Office of Ushi Irons

9.4  
The Office of Ushi Irons

“Why did you send me this file, Ushi?” Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic was holding a reader displaying a compilation from Subspace Radio Ivonovic. He was seated in a chair in one corner of Federation Council Leader Ushi Irons’ enormous office, which took up a quarter of the top floor in the Federation Council Building in Nairobi, Kenya.

The two exterior walls in Ushi’s office were transparent, allowing the bright morning African sun to flood the room with light. The interior walls were, like the floor and ceiling, finished with blonde lacquered bamboo. Four chairs and a small transparent table huddled in the interior corner of this vast room, near the double doors. Two antique Chinese landscape paintings adorned the two inner walls. Ushi had a standing desk in the opposite corner of the room where the two transparent outer walls met. Near the center of one of the transparent exterior walls was a very large antique Chinese vase. The remainder of this enormous room was bare. 

Ushi stood next to his desk more than 80 feet away from Ivonovic. Dressed in soft white deck shoes and a white suit that was evidently inspired by a ghee – a suit slightly less white than his long, straight white hair and beard. There was an abnormal stillness about the man. With his tall, nearly impossibly thin figure silhouetted against the morning African sun, Ushi Irons looked like he had been transported out of a painting of some ancient wizard or perhaps a commander stolen from the warriors standing watch in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. His long, thin shadow reached only half-way across the vast gulf between the two men.

“These are your greatest hits, Emory.” Ushi spoke softly, barely moving. His voice easily carried across the sparsely furnished room. “Since you are no longer producing Subspace Radio Ivonovic, your devoted fans listen to your back catalogue regularly. Have you considered producing more? Perhaps an occasional address? Or an update of the proceedings of your commission? Your public awaits.”  
“I would hardly expect you to encourage me to, how did you put it that one time? Fuel their insecurities?” Ivonovic replied, sitting comfortably, his legs crossed. His simple but flawlessly tailored black suit and highly polished black shoes stood out in stark relief against the brightness of Ushi’s decor.  
“But they may come to doubt you, Emory. They may think you have become a big shot. That you have been incorporated, intoxicated with your new role and your new place in society. They may begin to doubt that you are still one of them.”  
Ivonovic took a breath, regarded the man on the other side of the room critically. “You want me to reach out to them. You want me to… unify them.”  
“You have confused want with need,” Ushi replied. “That blood and soil segment – that played particularly well with the Earth First movement. You play the dog whistle as though it were a pipe organ.”  
“Why? Why do you need me to stoke them?” Ivonovic asked.  
“In no small part, so that they do not find another,” Ushi answered. “You are their voice. But you have evolved and you need to be careful. You are not the man you were when you arrived in Africa nearly a year ago. I need the man you have become. Your public needs the man you once were. It will take both of you to save the federation.”

“What have you got in mind, Ushi?”  
“There is an old vulcan proverb: Only Nixon could go to China.”

Ivonovic simply stared at Ushi Irons in confusion.  
“You will find a more thorough explanation in The Wit and Wisdom of Ambassador Spock,” Ushi continued. “I noticed you have a copy in your book collection.”  
“You are a very widely read man, Ushi,” Ivonovic observed, looking around the council leader’s enormous, but largely barren office. “Where do you keep your books?”  
Ushi strolled casually across the room, then opened one of the double doors. The door opposite opened simultaneously. Emory Ivonovic stood up, gave a slight nod, then turned to exit. Once outside Ushi’s office, Ivonovic turned again to see Ushi standing between the doors into his office, once again silhouetted against the morning African sun.  
“In my memory, Emory. I keep them in my memory,” Ushi said, then backed into his office, the doors closing as his white-clad figure receded into the brilliant morning sunlight.

9.4


	128. Episode 19.5: The Ivonovic Commission: Stroke of Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Tali Shae receives a rude awakening...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 5: Stroke of Luck

19.5  
Stroke of Luck

“Owwieee!!”

It was a low moan. Dr. Tali Shae was sleeping fitfully on Pep’s bed. She had taken Commander David Pepper’s quarters as ordered by her captain, but she was having a hard time sleeping in an actual bed after years of sleeping on the cot she had placed in the Medical Director’s office. She rolled over and tried to dispell the nightmare.

“Aaaallliiii….”

This was no nightmare - the sound was coming from the communicator embedded in her chest. The voice sounded weird. Indistinct.

“Hell.. Aaaalliii…. hell eeee…”  
“Minerva? Are you drunk?”  
“nooohh… naaahhh uhnk… srohhh….”

Tali was on her feet. She wrapped a sheet around her naked body and raced out of the first officer’s quarters (there was barely room for a twin bed, a workstation a private watercloset and a shower unit that was shared with the adjacent 2nd officer’s quarters.)

“Medical emergency!!” Tali howled as she ran into the transporter room, only a few feet away on deck 7. The andorian doctor shoved a startled Transporter Engineer K’rok out of her way, the sheet dropping from Tali’s naked body as she engaged the transporter. “Chrissiana! Scramble medical. I’m beaming the captain into the small surgery!”

The moment the transport cycle was complete, Tali raced out of the transporter room, leaving the sheet behind her, and leapt into the lift. “Medical!!” she screamed at the lift and began beating her left hand against the lift wall as the door closed and the lift crept down from deck 7 to the medical department, located on deck 3.  
Dr. Tali Shae stormed into the medical office, only to be astounded to find Lt. Napoleon Boles, the ship’s half bolian epidemiologist, waiting for her. Napoleon caught her and had to wrestle the naked andorian woman and pin her against the wall.   


“You can’t go in there, Tali. You’re not dressed. Sam’s in there. He’s already started surgery.”  
“Surgery?” With a surge of strength, Dr. Tali Shae shoved her way past Dr. Boles, nearly making it to the door that led from the medical office to the small surgery before Boles caught her again, pinning her in a wrestler’s hold and lifting her so that she could not gain traction.  
“Merde woman! Calm down! You can’t go naked into the surgery room!”  
“Let me go, Boles!”  
“You need to get some clothes on!”  
“Let me go! There are some scrubs in my private office! Well… Sam’s office…”  
Napoleon gradually released the naked doctor, then stepped back quickly as she sprinted to the medical director’s office that had, until recently, been hers. It took only a few moments for her to re-emerge, dressed in scrubs that were only a little too short for her. She was still barefoot. But before she could make it to the door of the small surgery, the door opened and Dr. Sif emerged.

“Give Sam a few moments, Tali,” said the small, trill medical examiner. “He has her stabilized.”  
“Stabilized???” Tali pounded the desk that had until recently been hers, then leaned on her fist.  
“She’s had a stroke, Tali. We got to her in time. Sam thinks she’s going to be okay, but he really needs you to not be in there until he gets done with surgery.”  
The andorian doctor surged toward the door, only to be caught once again by Napoleon Boles. Instead of struggling, she sagged against the half-bolean lieutenant - a dark blue man holding an older, pale blue woman - her face a mask of grief, her antennae drooping.  
“You picked Sam because he’s the best… 8th in his class at Star Fleet Medical… Graduated with honors,” Boles said. “Let him do his job, Tali. Nothing good will happen if you barge in there now.”

19.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably the very last to be drafted. 
> 
> I started drafting the first chapter of Star Trek Hunter (what is now Episode 1) in March of 2019. 
> 
> This chapter, Episode 19.5, was written today, October 26, 2020.
> 
> Thanks!! rbs


	129. Episode 19.6: The Ivonovic Commission: Syrtis Major

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
While the U.S.S. Hunter is running missions all over the Federation and romulan space, and politics within both the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire come to a low boil, Dr. Carrera and Wesley Crusher are putting together a team of exceptional individuals to travel to borg space to safely bring the borg into the Alpha Quadrant - in order to save all life in the Alpha Quadrant...
> 
> _The Doctor squinted, stared, cleared his throat: “Who are you?”_  
_His voice fell flat in the thin Martian atmosphere... “I said… Who are you?”_  
_The man turned to face him - an equally long shaggy gray beard. A crooked, gnarly staff for him to lean on._  
_“One of my younger incarnations dubbed me Old Man Crusher last time I was in this galaxy..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is kind of the Star Trek version of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - only better...  
.  
The song referred to in this scene is from The Beatles Revolver album: Doctor Robert.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 6: Syrtis Major

19.6  
Syrtis Major

The Red Planet was slowly being transformed. If it could be done on Cun Ling, it could be done on Mars. Several bands of dynamos now ringed the planet, creating a magnetosphere strong enough to hold more atmosphere in place. This was warming the planet slowly. It also had a predictable effect on the wind, decreasing the wind speed but increasing the force. Which required recalibration of the windmills that provided the majority of the power needed for the dynamos.   
The atmosphere was nowhere near breathable - and not yet strong enough to provide sufficient protection from cosmic radiation. In spite of open, running water and the thin line of green plants growing in and around the water for the first time in hundreds of millions of years, anyone stepping outside of one of the domes for a stroll would be well advised to wear a full EVA suit.

But Master Warrant Officer Doctor Robert did not need an EVA suit. Or a breather. Although his image was well known throughout Star Fleet and in certain circles at the Daystrom Institute, there were lots of people on Mars and on the Moon who did not know him. He always enjoyed seeing their expressions - double takes, sometimes outright shock as he walked about outside the domes wearing only the blue uniform he had become accustomed to during his service on the U.S.S. Voyager. Of course there was always someone around who could explain to panicked onlookers that he was a hologram – the only known independent hologram in the Alpha Quadrant thanks to the portable emitter he had acquired during his service on the U.S.S. Voyager.  
The Doctor (as most people still referred to him) had agreed to remain in Star Fleet only when offered an immediate promotion to the highest rank for a warrant officer and given command of the holographic warrant officer program. His duties included classroom instruction for Ph.D. candidates, inspection of a sample of holograms during programming, and most importantly, overseeing the development of and advocating for changes to the principles and ethics code for the development and treatment of semi-sentient holograms. It was an astounding amount of work, even for a hologram, and he was very much due a vacation.

Doctor Robert’s name had been given to him by Admiral Jamaal El Fadil, simply because a name was required on a form (first name: Doctor; last name: Robert.) After all of the brilliant scientists he could have selected to name himself after, he had finally been named for a 20th Century pop song about an illegal drug dealer that almost no one had ever heard and that he had to pretend to like simply because it was a favorite of the Star Fleet Chief of Staff.

The Doctor had always wondered why he had been given such a strong startle reaction. It kicked in emphatically when he saw another man standing outdoors on the edge of one of the rivers running through Syrtis Major wearing no EVA suit - just a shabby gray robe. Long shaggy gray hair. The Doctor squinted, stared, cleared his throat: “Who are you?”   
His voice fell flat in the thin Martian atmosphere. He was still having a hard time believing he was looking at a man - perhaps this was some humanlike alien that was adapted to such an atmosphere. The Doctor raised his voice to carry further in the thin atmosphere. It still sounded frightened and tentative… “I said… Who are you?”  
The man turned to face him - an equally long shaggy gray beard. A crooked, gnarly staff for him to lean on.  
“One of my younger incarnations dubbed me Old Man Crusher last time I was in this galaxy. You’ve been given the name Robert, but you prefer Doctor. I suppose Old Man will do for me. I am rather old.   
“You’re human! You shouldn’t be out here!”  
“I shouldn’t? You mean…” the old man started coughing. “There’s not..” he clasped at this throat under the shaggy beard and started gasping… “not enough air.. to.. breathe…” He hung onto his staff, trying not to fall over.  
The Doctor rushed forward to help.  
The old man stood up straight, took a deep breath, then started laughing heartily. “There aren’t that many places to stand around if I couldn’t arrange for my physical needs on my own. Of course you hardly need worry about such things…” Old Man Crusher flipped up his staff, touching the emitter on the Doctor’s shoulder with the tin-shod lower end of his staff.

It was just the slightest touch, but the Doctor could feel a massive information flow between the emitter and the old man’s staff.   
  
“What… What did you just do to me?” the Doctor squeaked, his forehead furrowing so deeply that a farmer might be tempted to sow it with grain.  
“You’ve had some problems with other holograms attempting to steal your emitter,” replied Old Man Crusher. “I just tuned it to you to make it a bit more tamper resistant. It’s been at least 300 years from now that I’ve seen one of those… They’re a bit scarce and for good reason.”  
“So now no one can steal this from me?” The Doctor’s brow was still more furrowed than a carrot garden ready for planting. “There’s more. There’s a whole lot more! You added programming to this!”  
“No,” replied the old man. “No, I did not add any programming. But I did unlock quite a bit of it. You’re not ready for it, but we just don’t have time to wait around for you to evolve.”  
“Evolve?” The Doctor managed to look even more confused. “Evolve? I am not a species of fruit flies, Mr. Crusher!”  
“If that thing doesn’t get destroyed, or somehow you manage to avoid getting erased, how long do you think you have left to live, Doctor?”  
“I have no idea! I’ve really been trying hard not to think about it. I’m not looking forward to watching the grandchildren of all my friends dying of old age.”  
Old Man Crusher leaned heavily on his staff. “I am far, far older than I look, Doctor. This staff isn’t here because my legs are weak. This body is just fine. I just feel old. It happens when you’ve watched some of your friends’ entire species become extinct.”  
“But, you only left here about a dozen years ago…”  
“Come on Doctor. I know your primary database is dedicated to medicine. But you have enough knowledge of physics to know that time is relative. You will experience that directly soon enough. You will be able to do what I can do. All you have to do is know how to represent it mathematically.”  
“I am no mathematician, Mr. Crusher.”  
“You are now. It will just take a few weeks for you to assimilate it into a useful format. But you cannot do that in this solar system. There are far too many warp engines around here. I need to take you to a safer place so you can learn what you need…”  
“Wait! What??? Take me where??? Where are you taking me?”

The wind whipped up some reddish dust from the surface of Mars. The dust filtered back and fell into the greenish river and the green plants that lined one of the first rivers to flow openly through Syrtis Major in hundreds of millions of years. The shifting sands quickly erased the footprints of the two strange men who had just been standing at the edge of the river in Syrtis Major.

19.6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Master Warrant Officer Doctor Robert  
Human Ethnicity: French Canadian (Hologram)  
Additional Species: N/A  
Hometown/Homeworld: New Eden, Mars  
Introduced: Episode 19.6  
Age when introduced: 18  
Role: Director, Holographic Warrant Officer Program, Star Fleet


	130. Episode 19.7: The Ivonovic Commission: Retreat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Stroke of bad luck, actually... The aging Justice Minerva Irons has suffered a stroke and Dr. Tali Shae has realized just how little she enjoys being Acting Captain of the U.S.S. Hunter. Weaponless and out of supplies, Dr. Tali Shae orders a retreat back to Federation space.
> 
> _Dolphin took a deep breath. “Tali is in command for now, until the captain recovers. Once Minerva is up and about and able to take command again, Tali intends to step down as first officer. Until we get Pep and Mlady back, I need a 2nd officer. I need you to do this. Do you think you’re up to it?”_  
_Tauk turned toward Dolphin. “Of course I’ll do it, Kenny. It will take my mind off of… well… dying...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The alert reader might have noticed Lt. Tauk's unexplained coughing in Episode 4. In Ep. 8 his cough was diagnosed as a terminal illness. Now his disease has progressed.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 7: Retreat

19.7  
Retreat

“This is not a discussion, Dolphin. I am not risking this crew any further on this mission. We’re going home.” Dr. Tali Shae was seated at the captain’s desk.

Justice Minerva Irons was restricted to her quarters, having suffered a stroke. Not that she was going anywhere - she was unconscious.

  
“I am not challenging you, Doctor,” Dolphin replied. “I just want to talk through every angle of this so that I can keep the crew together on this.”  
“You’re going to have to do that on your own. You’re first officer now. Recruit an acting Operations Chief – I can’t have you doing both jobs.”  
“I’m just worried about the potential for the romulans or the klingons to get their hands on Mlady,” Dolphin replied.   
“What, do you think I don’t care about her?!” Tali Shae slapped her palms on the desk. Her antenna bristled, vibrating like harp strings. “I don’t know how long I can survive without her! The supplements will work for maybe a month, maybe three, but sooner or later without her, my blood will become too thick to circulate. You may find yourself on the other side of this desk much sooner than you wanted!” Tali Shae leaned back in the chair, took four deep breaths, deliberately calming herself.  
Dolphin walked over to the replicator. “Andorian springpop.” He retrieved the newly formed cup and its beverage and brought it to Tali. The beverage inside the cup hissed and sent up occasional geysers of fizzy, bluish liquid. “How’s Minerva?”  
Tali took a long, slow, appreciative drink of the crackling fluid. “Conscious – barely and for very short periods. I have Dr. Kim watching her. Dr. Raj is on watch when she sleeps. We’re keeping her generally sedated to speed healing. She doesn’t seem to have lost any function, but it’s too soon to be certain.” Tali Shae rolled her head, her antennae almost comically rotating the opposite direction. “Look, Dolphin, I know we’ve never really gotten along and we’ll probably never be friends. But Minerva trusts you and I’m going to have to do the same. Neither of us is Pep, but you’re much better with the crew than I am. I’m really beaten down right now. My lover is missing and my best friend just suffered a stroke. I’m pretty sure we got to her in time. But… just, handle things for me, will you, please?”  
“Aye, Commander,” Dolphin said. “Get some rest, Tali. This whole thing has put you through the wringer and I’d prefer the crew not see you looking like, well, like death warmed over. I’ll get us home. You get some sleep.”

Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Dolphin walked out onto the bridge. Lt. Tauk was slumped in the captain’s chair, a grimace of pain on his face. He quickly straightened and stretched slightly while he composed his features into a more neutral expression.  
“Thyssi,” said Dolphin, “please report to the bridge and take the helm.”  
“Aye sir,” came the andorian pilot’s voice over the comm system. 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor, currently at the pilot station, turned to give Dolphin a questioning look.  
“Take the con when Thyssi gets here, Gaia.” Dolphin stepped over to Gamor, hesitated a moment, then put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. He turned to look at the ferengi in the captain’s chair and smiled. “I should be used to it by now, but I still get a kick out of seeing a ferengi in command of a federation starship.”  
Tauk managed a slight grin in return.   
“Walk with me, Lieutenant.”  
Lt. Tauk got up out of the captain’s chair as Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq arrived on the bridge and took the pilot’s seat. Tauk stepped aside as Gamor took the captain’s chair.   
“Gaia, make your course -90 degrees z, warp factor 13,” Dolphin said. “Put us right above that gamma wave, then make your course directly for Bajor. Warp 13. We are going to Cun Ling, but we won’t adjust course until we cross the Neutral Zone unless we have to. Notify me the second you see the slightest ghost on the sensors, okay?”  
“We’re retreating, sir?” asked Gamor as she sat down.  
“We’re beaten, Gaia. We need supplies, fuel, weapons. Our entire executive staff is either incapacitated or missing. We will be back. I’m not leaving Pep and Mlady out here. But with Saketh space crawling with warbirds, we need to wait for things to cool off. And it seems half the Romulan Imperial Navy is sitting on the klingons’ doorstep, so surfing a gamma wave toward Bajor seems a good way to avoid them for now. Just get us home.”  
“Aye sir,” Gamor replied. “Thyssi, make your course -90 degrees on our z axis and engage in recursive warp mode at factor 13.”

Dolphin put his hand on Tauk’s back as they walked out the rear exit from the bridge onto deck 8. He could feel the uneven pattern of the little ferengi’s breathing – all the muscles in his back flexing with the effort to take in enough air. Tauk had always seemed small, but his uniform was now hanging from his shoulders. His face had a gaunt, drawn look and it seemed as if he had aged two decades in little over a year. Dolphin resisted a strong urge to withdraw his hand. Part of Pep’s charm was in his touch – his ability to make people feel comfortable, wanted, protected, safe – so much of that came from those big, strong, warm hands.  
“Tauk, I hate to do this to you. But since the day I set foot on this boat, you have been the one person I could always count on. You’re the most reliable officer on this ship…” Dolphin felt the emaciated ferengi straighten a little. He squeezed Tauk’s shoulder very gently before dropping his hand to his side and wondered how Pep always managed to get that right. Or if it was even possible in this case. Tauk was just skin and bone.   
Dolphin took a deep breath. “Tali is in command for now, until the captain recovers. Once Minerva is up and about and able to take command again, Tali intends to step down as first officer. Until we get Pep and Mlady back, I need a 2nd officer. I need you to do this. Do you think you’re up to it?”  
Tauk turned toward Dolphin. “Of course I’ll do it, Kenny. It will take my mind off of… well… dying.”  
“I can tell you’re in a lot of pain…”  
“I need to give my mind something new to do. There isn’t much work in ground ops for now and I’ve been grooming T’Lon to take over. She’s ready.”  
Dolphin ushered Tauk onto the port lift. “Main engineering,” he said, then returned his attention to Tauk.  
“We’ll start with Engineering then end in Medical,” Dolphin said. “I’ll need you to turn over your pod in the director’s lounge to T’Lon. You’ll take Mlady’s cabin for now. Tali is staying with Minerva. Hunter…”  
The ship’s interactive holographic avatar appeared next to Tauk and Dolphin in the lift.  
“Lieutenant Commander,” the pudgy, elderly looking avatar replied.  
“As much as possible, I want you to remain manifest and be seen at Tauk’s side. When he gets tired, do something to help or to distract people so he can get a break.”  
“From electronic butler to electronic nanny,” Hunter quipped.  
Dolphin smiled, put his hand on Hunter’s holographic shoulder, made an amused noise. “Something like that. You miss Sarekson, don’t you?”  
Hunter reacted with some surprise. “You’re better at this than you think you are, Kenny,” he said. “You’re going to do just fine.”

19.7


	131. Episode 19.8: The Ivonovic Commission: The Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Federation Councilmember has a strange meeting with the Trantor Police Intelligence Division's Deputy Director for Offworld Activites, Johnny Canada...
> 
> _“And now that clause is being stretched to allow the Tribunal to send the U.S.S. Hunter to… where exactly?” asked Ivonovic._  
_“The other side of the Romulan Star Empire. This is their second trip there. Under the Aegis of the Vulcan High Command,” Canada replied._  
_“That raises a lot of questions. But the most important one to me at the moment is, why are you telling me all of this?”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
I always intended Emory Ivonovic to be a leading role. Johnny Canada just solved a number of problems for me by becoming another lead role...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 8: The Eye

19.8  
The Eye

It was the same hallway in which Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic had cornered Rear Admiral Serge Mykel Chekov a few days previously. Ivonovic walked past it again - something just wasn’t right – it was something he was seeing out of the corner of his eye.  
A small, blue mark. Ivonovic walked back and looked more closely. A little blue mark was fading from the corner of the wall. A cartoon ghost. Ivonovic shrugged and returned to the council room. He had been spending more time in this room than in his office recently.

“So why have you been lurking about and how did you get past security?” Ivonovic asked.   
“Well, first, I am security and I don’t lurk. I arrange meetings.” A thoroughly average looking man with a light brown beard, light brown hair and a relaxed, friendly smile was seated in the witness chair.   
“Now how is it that I didn’t see you when I walked in?” asked Ivonovic. “But somehow I knew you were here…”  
“Ohh, probably because here isn’t really where you think it is. You actually have seen me before or else this wouldn’t work. But this isn’t really your place. Let’s just rearrange the room a little. Maybe you find this a little more comfortable?”

Ivonovic found himself seated in an overstuffed armchair, his interlocutor in a similar chair set at a 90 degree angle. A table between them held a carafe of ice water and two tumblers.   
“I apologize for having you on the interview side. I didn’t have access to the code to alter the program. But there is this nasty little subroutine that allows me to take your mouth away.”  
“I prefer you don’t. Now, how about telling me who you are?”  
“Oh, sorry, Special Agent Johnny Canada, Trantor Police Intelligence Division. And I must say you’re handling this situation quite well, Councilmemeber.”  
“I’ll probably be okay as long as you don’t do that mouth thing you were talking about,” Ivonovic replied. “Now, I’m guessing this is some frightfully advanced neural technology that I have probably helped appropriate resources to support the continuing development of, somewhere deep down in the books under some colorful metaphor, like a really specialized toilet seat… But I don’t care so much about the how. What I’m more interested in is, why?”  
“Actually, the question you asked Rear Admiral Chekov was: where?” Canada retorted. “For very complicated reasons that you will eventually figure out, I’m here with the answer. But that involves me getting into… How.”

Ivonovic sighed. “I’m really not interested in technobabble. It’s just annoying.”  
“Not technobabble,” said Canada. “Is that even a word? No, more like complicated hierarchies. You wanted to know where the U.S.S. Hunter is and you were told the Hunter is tasked by the Tribunal, which, unlike Star Fleet Command and the Federation Council, has no authority to task any resources outside of federation territory.”  
Ivonovic settled back in his armchair, steepled his fingers. “You’re about to tell me the U.S.S. Hunter is not inside federation space…”  
“Seriously? You’re in a dream and you still do that giveaway finger steepling thing?” Canada asked. He rolled his eyes, then said, “Yes, but there is a loophole…”

Ivonovic pulled his hands apart, put them back together, deliberately steepled his index fingers and pointedly tapped them together four times.

“Touché, Councilmember,” Johnny said. “Okay, the Tribunal can, for special investigations involving violations of the Tribunal, Federation or Star Fleet charters, pool resources with any of the three founding governments – United Earth Governments, the Vulcan High Command or the Andorian Empire. During the first round of the Khitomer accords, when a cabal of Star Fleet and Klingon officers conspired to try to start a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, the Tribunal pooled resources with Earth Gov, dropped all charges within the Federation and expedited extradition of the Star Fleet conspirators to the Klingon Empire. For that trial, the Tribunal contributed four justices to the seven-member panel that tried all of the conspirators – Klingon and Star Fleet – as a single conspiracy. That is the sort of situation the clause in the Tribunal Charter allowing pooling of resources was designed for.”

“And now that clause is being stretched to allow the Tribunal to send the U.S.S. Hunter to… where exactly?” asked Ivonovic.

“The other side of the Romulan Star Empire. This is their second trip there. Under the Aegis of the Vulcan High Command,” Canada replied.  
“That raises a lot of questions. But the most important one to me at the moment is, why are you telling me all of this?”  
“Because you are investigating the role of Star Fleet in the surrender of Vulcan. I can explain that role in one word: Puppet. The Vulcan High Command: Puppet. The Federation Tribunal: Puppet. The Romulan Senate: Puppet – but with a different puppet master pulling the strings. I will be watching you, esteemed Councilmember. I hope I can entrust you with the most carefully guarded secret in the history of the Federation. You may be the ally I need to bring them down. But until then, you should know, our friends on the U.S.S. Hunter are in danger. I don’t know why they are out there alone in the middle of hostile space. But I intend to find out.”

“And just where are our friends in the hierarchy of all of this intrigue?” Ivonovic asked.

Canada looked down, then back up at Ivonovic. “They’re in the eye of the storm.”

19.8


	132. Episode 19.9: The Ivonovic Commission: Promotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
(Mostly) recovered from her stroke, Justice Minerva Irons makes some hard decisions to get her ship ready for a rescue mission to retrieve her 1st and 2nd officers from romulan space.
> 
> _“I am not going to play games with you,” Dolphin said, looking at the officers from the flight operations and ground operations departments. “I know on this ship there is a light hearted tradition and ritual for promotions, but I am not feeling particularly light hearted. We have a task ahead of us – to retrieve our lost officers – our friends. While all of you deserve more ceremony and richly deserve to be rewarded for your service, what I am doing today is not a reward. It is a preparation for the task ahead. Lieutenant Tauk, step forward...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This scene marks a significant change in Dolphin's behavior. It is the same difference I have seen when a friend of mine got promoted from Lt. Col. to Col. He said having the full bird on his chest felt like an actual eagle had landed on his shoulder.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 9: Promotion

19.9  
Promotion

“But what about Pep and Mlady?” Dolphin asked. “Surely…”  
“There is no surety anymore, Kenneth. I am not concerned about David’s career.” Justice Minerva Irons was evidently tired, her face drawn. Dolphin was amazed at how much she had aged in just over two years that he had known her. Her hair, which had been raven black when he had met her, was almost entirely gray now. He found himself wondering when she had stopped wearing her scandalously short dresses in favor of the black pant suit she was now clad in. She was squeezing a small ball with her left hand - her hand evidently still weakened from her recent stroke.  
“I am not concerned about Mlady’s place in Star Fleet,” Irons continued. “My only concern is to bring them home alive and I need a fully staffed ship to do this. Now I know you and Tauk have both maintained lists of qualified officers to backfill your departments. Make your decisions, bring in the new personnel you need and get our flight and ground operations departments fully staffed. And fix your collar, Commander.” Irons pushed a small box across her desk.   
“I am going to need a few more of these,” Dolphin said.   
Irons smiled with some effort, then opened a small drawer and placed two more boxes on her desk. “I anticipated you would. You are authorized to make promotions and authorize promotions as you see fit. But no more than you can make with these three boxes, their contents, and the hollow pips these will replace…”

It was rare for a ship’s crew to remain onboard while in dry-dock (secured inside a pressurized bay so that the hull could be closely examined.) The U.S.S. Hunter was docked inside Starbase 51, which orbited A Boo just inside the orbit of Cun Ling. Most of the Hunter’s crew were busily helping restock the ship or assisting with repairs and retrofits.

Commander Kenneth Dolphin decided to hold the ceremony, such as it was, in the executive conference room. He could almost feel the weight of the three full platinum pips on his collar – as if somehow they weighed more than two full pips and one hollow pip – the insignia of a lieutenant commander – his collar had sported less than an hour ago. Full platinum pips were always new. Hollow pips typically had a history. The hollow pip he had removed from his collar had once adorned Tali Shae’s collar before her promotion to commander. It now rested in a box to be passed along to Tauk.

“I am not going to play games with you,” Dolphin said, looking at the officers from the flight operations and ground operations departments. “I know on this ship there is a light hearted tradition and ritual for promotions, but I am not feeling particularly light hearted. We have a task ahead of us – to retrieve our lost officers – our friends. While all of you deserve more ceremony and richly deserve to be rewarded for your service, what I am doing today is not a reward. It is a preparation for the task ahead. Lieutenant Tauk, step forward.”  
The ferengi straightened himself in his chair before standing and walking as firmly as he could to the front of the room.  
“I have been authorized to promote you to Lieutenant Commander and formalize your appointment as Chief of Operations for this vessel. There is no one I would rather have as my second officer, Tauk.” Dolphin removed a hollow pip from a small wooden box and pinned it to Tauk’s collar next to the two full pips.   
“Second Lieutenant Gaia Gamor…” Gamor got up and walked to the front as Tauk remained standing next to Dolphin. “You are hereby promoted to Lieutenant and appointed Director of Flight Operations.” Dolphin removed the hollow-pip from Gamor’s collar and replaced it with a full pip. He placed the hollow-pip in the box that had contained the full pip and handed the box to Gamor. He handed another box to Tauk.  
“Second Lieutenant T’Lon…” Lt. Cmdr. Tauk removed the hollow-pip from T’Lon’s collar, replacing it with a full pip as Dolphin continued: “You are hereby promoted to Lieutenant and appointed Director of Ground Operations.” Newly promoted to first lieutenant, T’Lon and Gamor each now had two full platinum pips on their collars.  
“Ensign Ethan Phillips, you are hereby promoted to Second Lieutenant,” Dolphin continued as Lt. Gamor added the hollow-pip removed from her collar to his, next to the full pip, “and appointed Assistant Director of Flight Operations.”  
“Ensign Tolon Reeves,” Tolon stepped forward to receive the hollow-pip Tauk had removed from T’Lon’s collar. “You are hereby promoted to Second Lieutenant and appointed Assistant Director of Ground Operations.”

“There is a reason I did not invite anyone else here,” Commander Dolphin continued. “This is not a moment for applause. This is a moment for action. The ensigns you have selected to backfill your departments have arrived and are on this Starbase. I want them aboard this ship, all room arrangements reassigned and personal property relocated accordingly, departmental assignments in place, orientations completed and the U.S.S. Hunter fully stocked and ready to leave dry-dock and head for romulan space in three hours. Dismissed.”

19.9


	133. Episode 19.10: The Ivonovic Commission: Cocoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Sin IV, the blind Emperor of Andoria, gives a barn burner of a speech to the Federation Council...
> 
> _“The Andorian Synod of Judges has determined that Saoron, Premiere of the Vulcan High Command, is guilty of violating the terms of the Treaty of Paan Mokar. Under Andorian law and tradition, this is a capital offense and the Synod has scheduled Saoron’s execution...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Emperor Sin IV is one of my favorite creations - the elegant, charismatic, philosophical, and super creepy enlightened tyrant of a warrior race...  
I see him as kindred to a Machiavellian prince - one of the Medici family - the famous iron fist inside the velvet glove...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 10: Cocoon

19.10  
Cocoon

It was extremely rare for the head of state of a member government, other than the Earth Gov Chief Counsel, to address the Federation Council. In nearly 400 years, only two Vulcan Premieres and one Andorian Emperor had done so. For the Andorian Emperor to address the council while holding the Vulcan Premiere on Andoria for trial was entirely unprecedented and it was only with a considerable amount of arm-twisting that Ushi Irons had managed to gather sufficient votes to authorize the address.  
For this occasion, the blind andorian emperor had forgone his usual white robes in favor of a suit in the latest Earth fashion – with the exception that the suit and his highly polished shoes were white. This was relieved by the silver collar and cuffs on his white shirt – which only emphasized how pale his skin was – almost no hint of blue. Even clad in human fashion, he was still an imposing figure – an effect that was heightened considerably by his apparent awareness of his surroundings despite his obvious blindness. His eyes were almost blank with only a vestigial hint of an iris or pupil.

“So many people long for the simpler times of their youth. The glorious past of their ancestors. This is how the majority of people fail to live. They hold on to fantasies of a time that never was and cower from a future that requires them to grow and change and to finally own the lives they have been granted. Lives that were once directed by their elders. The young have no choice but to grow into that future and they do so tentatively and defiantly – with their eyes ever to their elders. But those adults, the elders, they try to re-enter the cocoon and become worm once again, having forgotten that they have wings. Never truly understanding that they were born not to crawl, but to fly.  
“In the frozen southern mountains of my home-moon, where I spent my childhood, there lives a variety of hrebkrul – an animal that, in its adult state would appear something like a large bat to those familiar with terrestrial fauna. Like the terrestrial butterfly, the hrebkrul has a sort of larval stage. They are born live without wings in the form of a worm. And like the butterfly, after some time wallowing in the mud as worms, they build a cocoon in which they transform from a crawling creature, into a flying creature. It seems nature repeats similar solutions in unexpected variations.  
“But the times we live in now do not admit to such a ready historical analog. Six hundred years ago, my ancestors would not have mourned the fall of Vulcan to the Romulan Senate. Today, this situation is of the gravest consequence. It has shaken the foundation of the Federation to its core.  
“I am blind, but not so blind that I do not see the discomfort of this council and the billions of people you represent to the temporary inconvenience placed on Andoria, your stalwart ally, by the open rebellion of the Andoria First movement. I am galled that a minority of my people, in such a rash act, have given comfort and encouragement to similarly named xenophobic forces within your own societies.  
“I am blind, but not so blind that I do not see the discomfort of this council and the billions of people you represent to the advent of a Romulan government within federation space – a New Romulus built on Vulcan, the homeworld of one of the founding members and key military allies that gave rise to this United Federation of Planets.  
“I am blind, but not so blind that I do not see the discomfort of this council and the billions of people you represent to the ongoing trial on Andoria required by the Treaty of Paan Mokar. Indeed it is the because of the conclusion of that trial that I requested to address this council today. The Ivonovic Commission has requested the testimony of Vulcan Premiere Saoron with respect to the Fall of Vulcan. This interview could not be granted while the trial was ongoing. But that trial has now concluded.  
“The Andorian Synod of Judges has determined that Saoron, Premiere of the Vulcan High Command, is guilty of violating the terms of the Treaty of Paan Mokar. Under Andorian law and tradition, this is a capital offense and the Synod has scheduled Saoron’s execution.”

Emperor Sin IV paused as the hushed silence in the chamber transformed in to a growing murmur.

“However,” the emperor continued just as the noise was beginning to peak and before any of the council members gathered enough courage to speak out. “In my capacity as the final arbiter of Andorian law and tradition, I hereby commute this sentence to life imprisonment, in a facility yet to be named. Furthermore, while I have authority over the person of Vulcan Premiere Saoron, I do not have authority over the decisions of the Vulcan High Command.   
“After discussing this ruling with the remaining members of the Vulcan High Command I can report the following: Saoron will remain Premiere of the Vulcan High Command. In deference to which, the Andorian government will make suitable accommodations available for meetings and other facilities required for the Premiere to continue to meet his obligations to his people as long as he and the Vulcan High Command comply with the requirements of the Treaty of Yuri Gagarin Memorial Park. If the Ivonovic Commission wishes to interview Premiere Saoron, it may do so. But for this the Commission must travel to Andoria.  
“Do not mistake my largesse for lenience. While Andoria will support the Vulcan people in their time of need and provide whatever administrative resources are required to facilitate the smooth operation of the Vulcan High Command in exile, I retain control over the body of the prisoner Saoron and I will not, under any conditions, release his person from my custody to the Vulcan High Command or any other government until his life sentence has been served in full.  
“Furthermore, it is incumbent on all of us to recognize that this body and its Charter, as well as the Charter of the Federation Tribunal, no longer reflect the reality of our time or of any reasonable projection of the future. The Vulcan High Command, despite its historic significance, is no longer a military power with the ability to contribute significantly to the protection of the Federation.   
“Over the next few years, as the Republican Senate of New Romulus on Vulcan meets the requirements of the Gagarin Treaty, the charters of the Tribunal and the Federation will need to be amended to recognize this new reality. If the Federation is to remain protected by a triumvirate of military power, as this great experiment began, the role once played by the Vulcan High Command must transition to the Senate of New Romulus.

“I am blind, but I can feel your hearts. I can taste your fear. Your suspicion of a people that made war on you and yet with whom you must inevitably become one is well founded, and so thick I could cut it with my Ushaan-Tor. Your fear is natural. Your suspicion is natural. And healthy. But do not allow this to transform you and your populations into a bitter and craven people. We, you, I, our peoples, we are one people. And like the hrebkrul larva, we and the people of New Romulus on Vulcan, have become sewn together into a cocoon.  
“If we look only to the past, we will fail to emerge from our joint cocoon as one people and we will die. Therefore I call on you, our allies, my fellow citizens of the United Federation of Planets, do not give in to fear. Do not give in to nostalgia. Do not pine for the imagined past. Face your fear. Face the future. And emerge as one people. Not to writhe out our death throes in the mud of our division, but united to do what we were all meant to do. To thrive as one people. To continue our shared destiny among these stars. To fly.”

19.10


	134. Episode 19.11: The Ivonovic Commission: High and Dry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The crew of the U.S.S. Hunter are eager to return to romulan space to rescue their 1st and 2nd officers... But Star Fleet has the Hunter bottled up in dry dock...
> 
> _“So why would a mathematician have authority to keep us in dry dock?” Dolphin asked. “And it’s already been a week – why isn’t he here already?”_  
_Alstars spoke up. “He is bringing a committee of Ph.D. candidates to inspect the Hunter. Apparently one of them is currently on vacation in the Andes…”_  
_“He is playing a game, sir,” said Sun..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
A little more fun with the brilliant Dr. Jack Bowman.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 11: High and Dry

19.11  
High and Dry

“Who is Dr. Bowman and why does he have any authority over when this ship leaves dry dock?”

Commander Kenneth Dolphin was clearly frustrated. He paced around the Engineering Conference Room. Dr. Moon, Dr. Sun and Dr. Alstars, seated at the clear lacquer conference table, turned their heads in unison, tracking their new first officer back and forth as he paced.

“Sarekson brought Jack Bowman in as a consultant during the Hunter’s refit last time we were at Mars,” Moon replied. “He is one of Earth’s most brilliant mathematicians.”  
“As the great man himself will tell anyone who will listen,” groused Alstars.  
“Dr. Carrera told me never to trust him,” said Sun.  
“So why would a mathematician have authority to keep us in dry dock?” Dolphin asked. “And it’s already been a week – why isn’t he here already?”  
Alstars spoke up. “He is bringing a committee of Ph.D. candidates to inspect the Hunter. Apparently one of them is currently on vacation in the Andes…”  
“He is playing a game, sir,” said Sun.   
“Okay Lieutenant Sun,” Dolphin started, “What game, and why?”  
“The game is to keep us in dry dock waiting for him,” said Alstars. “Apparently indefinitely.”  
Dr. Moon looked up. “Someone has put him up to this. Someone has offered him something. Can’t the captain do anything to get us underway?”  
“It wouldn’t do any good,” Dolphin replied. He sat down at the clear lacquer conference table, dropped his hands onto the table with a thump, sighed. “We can only be tasked for the rescue by the Tribunal sharing us as a resource with one of the three founding governments. Our last mission was under the authority of the Vulcan High Command.”  
“Could we not get the Andorian Empire to authorize a rescue mission?” Moon asked.  
“It wouldn’t matter. The Tribunal won’t authorize it,” Dolphin responded.  
“Then that’s why we’re stuck in dry dock,” Alstars said. “We have friends out there we want to rescue. That could drive even the most disciplined officers to an act of barratry.”

At that point the comm system came alive, bringing the unfamiliar voice of Eykirros Jones, the Ground Operations Department’s new ensign, into the conference room: “Commander Dolphin, I have a call for you from Rear Admiral Chekov.”  
“Maybe I can find a shortcut out of this after all,” Dolphin said. “If you would, please give me the room.”  
Dr. Moon stood up and ushered her officers out of the engineering conference room, closing the door behind her.  
Dolphin waited until the door was closed, then said, “What are you waiting for, Ensign Jones? The admiral is a busy man. Put him through!” He smiled at the slight sound of panic in the new ensign’s voice.  
“Sorry sir! Right away, sir!”

19.11


	135. Episode 19.12: The Ivonovic Commission: Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Someone has to take the fall for the failure of Star Fleet to protect Vulcan from the Romulan Senate. Star Fleet's Director of Fleet Operations is required to fall on her sword...
> 
> _“I, honestly, do not care about your current mental condition. You may be healthier and more mentally fit than I ever have been or ever will be.” Ivonovic took a deep breath. “Fleet Admiral, this is the only honorable way out..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Hopefully this scene will have a ring of truth - or verisimilitude...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 12: Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart

19.12  
Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart

“We have identified the romulan battlegods as the I.R.W. Prodigium and Diabolus. They have now left vulcan space – that is N.R.V. space.” Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart was in the witness chair before the Ivonovic Commission. “Telemetry from the U.S.S. Ratter, now permanently stationed in N.R.V. space, verified that both ships were transporting population. We assume these are mostly refugees from Romulus. Our estimates indicate the romulan population on New Romulus on Vulcan has swelled to approximately 2.5 billion. This would bring the planetary population to approximately 5 billion.”  
“We have learned a lot about romulan culture over the past several weeks,” Stewart continued. “Their warbirds are nearly self-sufficient in food production for shipwide populations ranging from 20 – 30 thousand. Extrapolating from this information and the amount of surplus food being provided by the Praetorian Guard we estimate an average population of 25 thousand per warbird belonging to the guard, which, with 39 warbirds identified, would mean there is a population of another million or so romulans living in Vulcan/New Romulan space.”   
“The romulans are also aggressively building agricultural complexes on the planet T’Khut, which shares a very close orbit with Vulcan. T’Khut does not have a breathable atmosphere, so we will need to watch very closely for evidence of slave labor or prisons on that planet.”  
Chairman Emory Ivonovic ran his fingers through his perfectly coiffed silver hair (which sprang back into place as soon as his hand left it). “We appreciate the update, Fleet Admiral. However the purpose of this commission is to determine not what the current situation is – other committees are handling that. Our purpose is to determine how Vulcan was lost. Please start with Vice Admiral Senvol. This committee received intelligence that it was Vice Admiral Senvol who sent the vulcan interceptor groups out of the system. Considering that these interceptors were homeworld assets, not Star Fleet assets, please explain to us how Vice Admiral Senvol was able to send them anywhere.”

Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart sighed heavily, then said, “I will do my best to answer your question and all of your questions, Esteemed Councilmember. However, I request your indulgence to pass along one more observation about the current situation of New Romulus on Vulcan as it may weigh on the considerations of this commission.”  
Ivonovic leaned back in his chair. “Of course, Fleet Admiral. But please, keep it brief.”  
“We will need to keep a close eye on the romulan efforts to farm T’Khut and Vulcan. However, it is worth noting that even with extensive help from Earth’s best agricultural experts, the vulcans saw ever diminishing returns on such efforts on both planets and were increasingly reliant on imports from their colonies. What makes for good soil is a healthy community of beneficial bacteria. Superplanets like Earth and Bajor come about because of a long history of uninterrupted microbiological development. Transplanting these to foreign soils is rarely successful. We assume the romulans brought a large amount of romulan soil with them and will attempt to foster growth of romulan microbiology on T’Khut and Vulcan. Given their failure to create a New Romulus within their old empire, we anticipate New Romulus on Vulcan will be dependent on food imports from the federation at least for the next several generations.”

“Thank you, Fleet Admiral. Please now tell us about Vice Admiral Senvol,” said Ivonovic. He leaned back again and steepled his fingers.   
“Vice Admiral Senvol rose through the ranks during the Cardassian War,” Stewart replied. “During ground assaults on Setlik III and Dorvan V, Ensign and later Commander Senvol led vulcan ground forces into battle no less than 20 times against the Cardassian Empire. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in part because of his rescue of remaining Camor V government records.”   
“Following the 3rd Borg Incursion, Vice Admiral Senvol was put in charge of the 6th Fleet, charged with the defense of Vulcan. During and immediately following the Dominion War, piracy on shipping around Vulcan became a serious problem. A large part of the 6th Fleet was either destroyed or incapacitated during the war. Star Fleet allowed Senvol to join the Vulcan High Command, in which capacity he was also charged with the defense of Vulcan and directed the activities of the homeworld fleet to protect vulcan shipping from piracy. For nearly twenty years preceding the fall of Vulcan, Vice-Admiral Senvol successfully coordinated Vulcan homeworld assets with the activities of the 6th Fleet to make Vulcan one of the most secure regions within the Federation,” Stewart concluded.

“Before I ask this next question, Fleet Admiral,” Ivonovic began, “I must acknowledge and thank you for your many decades of exemplary service to Star Fleet and the Federation. However, I have to ask, how is it that you were not aware of the reassignment of both Vulcan homeworld assets and the 6th Fleet away from Vulcan, leaving the region entirely undefended?”  
Stewart shifted uncomfortably. “Vice Admiral Senvol did not advise me of these movements. Nor did any of the captains within the 6th Fleet.”  
“Do you not have a readout on the location of every ship in the fleet?” Ivonovic asked.  
“All of our computer systems showed the 6th Fleet and Vulcan homeworld assets were on station or on patrol in and around the Vulcan system at the time they were reassigned,” Stewart replied. “Star Fleet Intelligence has determined the computer systems both at Star Fleet Headquarters, Star Fleet Academy, the Daystrom Institute and four other monitoring facilities were locally reprogrammed. At least 14 perpetrators have been identified, but none have been apprehended. Eleven of these are Star Fleet officers, all of whom are A.W.O.L.”  
“According to the testimony of Rear Admiral Serge Mykel Chekov, the bulk of the ships he requested for the 2nd Battle for Pillo were to come from the 9th Fleet. They never arrived. Who is in charge of the 9th Fleet?” Ivonovic asked.  
“Vice Admiral Dominic Montgomery,” Stewart replied.  
“And how did Vice Admiral Montgomery not realize his ships were not being sent to Pillo?”  
“The assets from the 9th Fleet were amassed about 40 lightyears away from Pillo to await orders from Rear Admiral Chekov. They were given the wrong rendezvous location and never received the activation order. The ships from the 6th Fleet were located in the correct rendezvous location and received the activation order that was intended for the 9th Fleet. There was an eight-hour window for activation. When that window passed, the 9th Fleet captains reached out to Vice-Admiral Montgomery. This was his first indication that something had gone wrong…”  
  


19.12


	136. Episode 19.13: The Ivonovic Commission: Medical Discharge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Federation Councilmember Emory Ivonovic pays Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart a visit...

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 13: Medical Discharge

19.13  
Medical Discharge

The morning following her testimony before the commission, Fleet Admiral Stewart received Ivonovic in her office in Dubuque, Iowa.   
“Welcome to Star Fleet Headquarters, Esteemed Councilmember,” Stewart said.  
“My first time in America – either of them,” Ivonovic replied. “I am certain you understand why I am here, Fleet Admiral.”  
“To ask me to step down. Someone has to take responsibility.”  
“You lost the 6th Fleet. Ultimately, fleet movements are the responsibility of the Director of Fleet Operations. I’m afraid it will not be sufficient for you to retire or resign,” Ivonovic said.  
“You are asking Star Fleet to discharge me?”  
“You did recently enter a private medical institution for mental health reasons?” Ivonovic asked.  
“How are you aware of that?”  
“Unimportant. Did you?”  
“I became aware that I had been the target and victim of a repeated number of vulcan mind-melds. I took a week of leave to undergo drug therapy to counteract the effects,” Stewart replied.  
“Not to be indelicate, Fleet Admiral, but you are close to 90 years old…”  
“87. At my age that becomes a point of pride…”  
“And I hope to live as long with as good health. But quadropseudoprozadiazomine is a dangerous drug for healthy young people and can, even for people in the peak of health, have lasting impact on their mental health,” Ivonovic intoned.  
“Councilmember, I am not…”  
“I, honestly, do not care about your current mental condition. You may be healthier and more mentally fit than I ever have been or ever will be.” Ivonovic took a deep breath. “Fleet Admiral, this is the only honorable way out. I am afraid that the meteoric careers of Rear Admiral Chekov and Vice Admiral Montgomery are also on hold – but at least not ended. Not as long as Star Fleet finds a way out of this mess. Ultimately, you lost the 6th Fleet. There is no way around it. And only one honorable way forward. A medical discharge under honorable circumstances.”  
“Councilmember, my mental health was not the cause of this problem…”  
“No. But it is the solution. Or part of it. I will not stop investigating until the deeper problem is rooted out. But those investigations cannot be as public as the Commission has been. To continue the work of the Commission at this point would only undermine public trust in Star Fleet. Your sacrifice can prevent that. It is unfortunate. It is not fair. But you and I both know this is how it has to end.”

Ivonovic rose to leave.  
“And if I refuse, Councilmember?” Stewart asked.  
“I’m afraid I cannot allow you that option, Fleet Admiral. This has been a courtesy call, not a strategy session.”

19.13


	137. Episode 19.14: The Ivonovic Commission: Return to Pern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth leads a party to the City of Pern to greet the newly arrived waterbirds from Cophus II. The new colony of waterbirds at Pern is a victory for Guth.
> 
> _“Battles over territory, planets, strategic locations – today is one of those rare days I feel like my grandfather,” said Chekov. “Not a soldier, but an explorer. All this war and death and politics… Who knew such magnificent creatures existed? Giant talking birds! And we get to help them colonize another world – to come live with us! This is why I joined Star Fleet. Not to point phaser cannons at romulans...”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
My favorite line for Rear Admiral Chekov...  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 14: Return to Pern

19.14  
Return to Pern

Rear Admiral Serge Chekov was not a tall man. Short, potbellied, mostly bald with an unflattering comb-over, his ruddy face pockmarked. But there was a restless energy and a relentless cheerfulness to the man that seemed to make him larger than life in spite of his looks. The moment he entered a room, his presence filled it. His mouth didn’t smile, but his eyes did. He was accompanied by an attractive female ensign who was clearly part orion and part vulcan.   
At Chekov’s request, Commander Kenneth Dolphin had brought Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth with him. At Guth’s request, Dolphin had also brought Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq. Lt. T’Lon had also joined the party. They beamed over from Starbase 51 to the admiral’s shuttle, en route to Cun Ling.

“I did not approve of your promotion, Commander,” Chekov said. “But if I had known you had a man like Guth here on your staff, I would have felt quite differently. Especially when I heard you personally played a role in these negotiations.”  
Dolphin was a bit mystified. He took a small shot glass as Chekov handed them around, neglecting only the green-skinned ensign who was piloting the shuttle.   
Chekov opened a bottle of vodka, poured a small amount into each glass, then lifted his own. “To a successful negotiation and conclusion to several months of work!”   
The vodka had a strong mint flavor and an oddly fishy aftertaste.  
Guth started coughing, hard.  
“You’re the lightweight?” Chekov asked. “I did not see that coming. I figured it was blondie here who wouldn’t be able to hold his liquor.” Chekov raised his glass to Dolphin.  
“Dolphin, Dolphin, Dolphin, Smith and Asher, Attorneys at Law,” Dolphin said. “My dad would inflict thunderous sermons on anyone who had the audacity to suggest wine instead of grape juice for the sacrament… And he kept a fifth of Glen Livet XXV in his desk drawer. Which I discovered when I was ten.”  
“So you cut your teeth on the good stuff…” Chekov laughed. Just a second later, the shuttle landed. “You might not be so bad after all. But it’s your man Guth here that today’s all about.”

The aft door of the shuttle opened. Mayor Tala Ocompo was waiting. They had landed just on the outskirt of her city’s central park. She ushered them out and pointed to the sky.   
Chekov, Dolphin, T’Lon, zh’Qaoleq and Guth all followed her gaze. Guth was the first to start laughing as a dozen giant waterbirds drifted down out of the sky over Pern.

Ensign Shilola (Chekov’s half-orion pilot) joined the group as the birds landed.  
“Hello Dewayne Guth,” came an odd, deep musical voice. The bird’s enormous beak and tongue barely moved – the powerful, sonorous voice seemed to come from somewhere deep in its throat. “I am not yet skilled in your language, but I have been enjoying the thought of greeting you.”  
Guth deliberately calmed himself as the bird lowered its gigantic beak slowly until it touched his shoulder. He recalled seeing the waterbirds at the sanctuary on Cohpus II behaving this way toward their vulcan caretakers and he imitated the vulcan reaction – gently touching the side of the bird’s beak.   
“Destim Ski,” Guth said. “I was hoping you would be part of this expedition.”  
The bird took a step back, raised its beak to the sky and shook its head, then its wings, then the rest of its body. The other birds who had landed nearby followed suit.  
By this time, Maa and a number of other vulcans had joined Mayor Ocompo. “Hello Mr. Guth. I am gratified that you can see the result of your advocacy. Destim Ski recruited me and a few others to help with the new colony. Over the next few years we plan to increase the population of the waterbirds here to about 400. That should be sufficient to establish a genetically stable population here…”

As Maa, Guth and Ocompo were speaking and Destim Ski joined the conversation, Rear Admiral Chekov put his hand on Dolphin’s shoulder. “Walk with me, Commander.”  
Ensign Shilola noticed as Dolphin and Chekov strolled away from the group and headed deeper into the park. She moved to follow them. Chekov caught her eye and shook his head quickly, then returned his attention to Dolphin.

“Battles over territory, planets, strategic locations – today is one of those rare days I feel like my grandfather,” said Chekov. “Not a soldier, but an explorer. All this war and death and politics… Who knew such magnificent creatures existed? Giant talking birds! And we get to help them colonize another world – to come live with us! This is why I joined Star Fleet. Not to point phaser cannons at romulans.”  
“I never saw them before today, but Dewayne could never stop talking about them. This was his dream – to help them start a colony here. I wish I could leave him here to celebrate this,” Dolphin said.  
“Are you going somewhere, hero?” Chekov asked.  
“Probably not unless I can get some help. I haven’t been authorized to tell you where we just came from…”  
“The other side of the Romulan Star Empire.” Chekov grinned at Dolphin’s surprise. “I have my sources,” he said. “Your buddy Ivonovic told me.”  
“We left people back there, Admiral. We need to go back for them.”  
“And you think I might be willing to help?” Chekov asked.  
“You built your reputation on not leaving people behind,” Dolphin replied.  
“It seems you have found my weakness, hero,” Chekov said. “Tell me everything. I don’t care how classified. If you want me to go out on a limb and break any number of regulations to make it possible for you to go back, you’re going to have to trust me.”  
Dolphin took a deep breath.

19.14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Ensign Shilola  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Vulcan, Orion  
Hometown/Homeworld: Eden, Cun Ling  
Introduced: Episode 19.14  
Age when introduced: 19  
Role: Pilot, U.S.S. Milky Way


	138. Episode 19.15: The Ivonovic Commission: Subspace Radio Ivonovic Relaunched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Federation Councilmember Ivonovic, at the urging of Ushi Irons, has relaunched Subspace Radio Ivonovic, a voice that billions of Federation citizens had grown used to...
> 
> _“And when you stand on this soil, understand that the most precious resource in our universe is just under your feet. The miracle of modern agriculture – the miracle of replication technology – these things only make that soil far, far more productive. But we have not yet learned to make soil out of lifeless clay. And you cannot live without that soil. It is your lifeblood..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Ivonovic appeals to a certain demographic. Not the separatists, but definitely those who aren't quite as liberal as the enlightened public Gene Roddenberry had hoped to see humanity become.  
.

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 15: Subspace Radio Ivonovic Relaunched

19.15  
Subspace Radio Ivonovic Relaunched

“Soil. That is what this comes down to. Over the past few months, one question has reverberated throughout the Federation. Why was the Vulcan homeworld handed over to the Romulan Senate? Why was Star Fleet caught off guard? The Federation Council empaneled a commission to answer this question. A commission that unofficially bears my name.  
“I know it has been some time since you have heard my voice. The voice of the Naturalborn. There is a time to speak out and there is a time to listen. I have spent the past year listening. And the time has come for me to share some of what I have learned.  
“We have determined that a number of weaknesses in Star Fleet command and control were exploited. Exploited by a conspiracy to hand over Vulcan to the romulans. We actually know of several movements, including the Peaceful Reunification Movement championed a few decades ago by the now infamous Ambassador Spock. We now know that for all practical purposes, the Peaceful Reunification Movement died with Ambassador Spock along with as many as 14 billion romulans in the Hobus tragedy.   
“In a way, conspiracy is the wrong word – oh there definitely was a conspiracy. It was Star Fleet officers who reprogrammed the computers to hide the movement of the 6th Fleet. They took advantage of a unique weakness at the top of Star Fleet’s command structure. A weakness that Commandant Barrett th’Zoarhi has moved to correct.   
“We now know that Vice Admiral Senvol, who sent the 6th Fleet hundreds of light years away from their regular patrol routes and ordered the uncontested surrender of Vulcan, had been allowed to serve in an additional capacity as Homeworld Defense Coordinator for the Vulcan High Command, in which capacity he was able to stand down all Vulcan assets as well as the Star Fleet assets assigned to the protection of Vulcan. This is an intolerable breach of security that Star Fleet can never again allow to happen.   
“In light of these developments, the Federation Council, through the offices of the Commission on the Role of Star Fleet and Other Parties in the Fall of Vulcan, is now reviewing all fleet assignments to ensure there are no other such incestuous relationships between homeworld defense forces and Star Fleet admiralty."

“It is also time for the United Earth Governments to assume direct control of Star Fleet assets currently assigned to the defense of Earth and Earth colonies, lest we find our own homeworld stripped defenseless due to the accumulation of too much authority in too few hands – as happened in the case of Admiral Senvol."

“But what do all these considerations have to do with soil?"

"When you walk out onto the concrete that covers your city street, walk a longer path today. Walk to a city park. If you can walk out onto the land without having to seek a park, perhaps you already know. Stand, not on the concrete, but on the soil. Not dirt, in which nothing can grow, but soil, enriched by billions of years of microbial life.  
“And when you stand on this soil, understand that the most precious resource in our universe is just under your feet. The miracle of modern agriculture – the miracle of replication technology – these things only make that soil far, far more productive. But we have not yet learned to make soil out of lifeless clay. And you cannot live without that soil. It is your lifeblood.   
“If you stand on a world colonized by Earth, the soil of Earth has travelled there to help enrich the dirt of that world and make it fertile. Perhaps you stand on a world that had soil when your ancestors arrived. Very few such worlds are discovered that do not fall under the Prime Directive. Soil is rare. The romulans lost their soil. So they found our weakness, exploited our weakness and took the soil of Vulcan for their own. And in those enormous ships they brought not only the people of destroyed Romulus, but the soil of destroyed Romulus.  
“This is not the first time a federation world has been conquered. But it is the first time we welcomed the conquerors to stay and to transplant the soil of their world onto one of ours. The military reality is that we must, for the first time in the history of the United Federation of Planets, allow this aggression to stand. We must allow it to stand because we were betrayed. We must allow it to stand because our homeworld defenses were not resilient enough. We must allow it to stand because if we do not, billions of our own people will die and the soil of Vulcan would be laid bare and turned into lifeless dirt.  
“But I say to you this and let this ring in your hearts. Never again. We must never again allow this to happen. Never again give one person the power to surrender one of our worlds. Never again allow our primary defense to be caught napping. Never again allow our voice to fall silent.   
“I apologize for my absence. I have taken on a task much larger than I ever imagined. But I will not leave you again. I am Emory Ivonovic, bringing you the voices of the people. Bringing you Subspace Radio Ivonovic. I may not always be the one speaking – this vessel is not for my voice, but for yours. But I will not allow your voice, Subspace Radio Ivonovic, to fall silent again.”

19.15


	139. Episode 19.16: The Ivonovic Commission: Retirement Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart gives her final order as an active duty Star Fleet Officer.

**Star Trek Hunter  
**Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 16: Retirement Planning

19.16  
Retirement Planning

“How much longer, Minerva?” Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart finally asked after a period of looking at her desk.

Subspace conversations between Earth and Cun Ling involved an annoying and slightly unnerving 8-second delay. To compensate, people tended not to look into the veiwscreens until they heard the other person start talking. Stewart asked her question, then looked down, waiting 8 seconds for the question to reach Justice Minerva Irons and another 8 seconds for Iron’s reply to return to her.

“I am reasonably certain this will be my final mission, Fleet Admiral,” Irons replied. “I have 17 weeks shore leave saved up, so once I return, I plan to work my remaining time one day a week from a small office on Starbase 11. That will finish up my final tour of duty – 91 years of service.” Irons waited a second, then looked down and waited for the reply.}  
“Well, I have to give your Commander Dolphin the credit for wrangling this final mission for you,” Stewart replied after a 16-second delay. “Honestly, I didn’t understand what you saw in him, but he has turned out to be quite the asset. Under that soft Harvard accent and pretty blonde hair, the man has some grit. To approach Chekov, of all people, for this kind of favor – with so many people calling him a ‘Kirk’ – especially Chekov… Even though it galls me a little that your Kenny is fast friends with that reprobate stuffed shirt Ivonovic.” Stewart looked down for a second. Then: “I hate sending you into danger, Minerva. Especially since this will be the last thing I ever do as a Star Fleet officer. Your mission is authorized. I had to call in every favor I had left to obtain authorization, so bring that ship home in one piece and bring yourself home with it. But getting that boat out of dry dock – that you’re going to have to manage on your own.”  
Irons smiled faintly, made an amused noise. “I have just the ferengi for the job. And about Chekov calling Dolphin a ‘Kirk’, you have to remember Chekov’s grandfather served with the real Kirk – which may put that particular epithet in a different light when Serge uses it.” Irons took a deep breath, assumed a more serious tone. “Be well, Miriam. It has been an honor serving with you.”  
After a pause, Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart looked up again. “It’s the end of an era – you and me leaving Star Fleet. Time to turn it over to the young folk. Chekov is 64. Dolphin is what – 52?”  
“Children, Miriam. We work with children,” Irons replied. “Irons out.”  
Irons waited for the reply.  
“So long, old woman.” The Fleet Admiral touched a switch and ended her transmission.

“So long, Miriam,” Irons said to the darkend screen. Alcohol was not recommended for recent stroke victims, but Irons brought a small bottle of merlot and a glass from under her desk and poured a drink.

19.16


	140. Episode 19.17: The Ivonovic Commission: Hugh Mann

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
With help from Rear Admiral Serge Chekov and Fleet Admiral Miriam Stewart, the U.S.S. Hunter is finally underway to search for its lost crew members... And things get a little strange
> 
> _Lt. Cmdr. Tauk’s voice was heard over the ship’s intercom: “General Quarters. All hands to duty stations. This is not a drill, so move it!” Red lights started flashing and the ear-piercing wail of the emergency klaxon made itself heard..."_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is the next to last post for Year 2 of Star Trek Hunter. I know I have some avid readers. I would really like to know what you think of Star Trek Hunter - Series 2.
> 
> I will begin posting the 3rd and final year in a new story later this week. I am about halfway through with Episode 25. 28 will be the final episode for Star Trek Hunter...
> 
> I would really appreciate your comments and any guesses or recommendations you have for Star Trek Hunter - Series 3.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!! rbs

**Star Trek Hunter**  
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission  
Scene 17: Hugh Mann

19.17  
Hugh Mann

It was only a few moments later when Lt. Cmdr. Tauk’s voice was heard over the ship’s intercom: “General Quarters. All hands to duty stations. This is not a drill, so move it!” Red lights started flashing and the ear-piercing wail of the emergency klaxon made itself heard – the sound seeming to vibrate not only the ear drum, but the very skull of anyone within earshot.   
Irons remained seated in her office and monitored the situation, allowing her new second officer to handle this particular emergency. It was probably of his own making anyway…

“Lieutenant Gamor, in about twenty seconds this airlock will fail,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tauk. “All hands: Emergency detach all moorings, seal all hatches and brace for explosive decompression of the docking bay.” Tauk was fastening his seat restraints. “Gamor, make sure the door doesn’t hit us on the way out. As soon as we clear the doors, find the U.S.S. Milky Way and put us underneath their secondary hull. Inverted. I want this ship clamped to their hull.”  
The giant airlock space doors opened explosively. The maintenance bay was designed to hold Reliant class ships well over five times the size of the U.S.S. Hunter. The Hunter was the only thing in the bay that was not secured and was immediately blown out of the bay along with all the atmosphere, sending the tiny ship out at more than twice the speed authorized for exit from the bay when it was properly depressurized.   
Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars was seated at the navigator station, feverishly entering calculations into the console. Lt. Gamor watched numbers scrolling along the bottom of the viewscreen.   
“In five…” Alstars said quietly.   
Gamor’s finger hovered above a control on her panel.  
“And now,” Alstars said at the same instant that Gamor touched the control. Thrusters on the top and the starboard side of the Hunter fired for just a second, stabilizing the ship’s roll. Just as the ship stabilized, the enormous U.S.S. Milky Way came up, upside down, underneath the Hunter, slowing just as the two ships met.   
Gamor touched another control and powerful magnets on the underside of the Hunter’s nacelle brought the two ships together and sealed the Hunter, upside down, to the underside of the Milky Way’s secondary engineering hull. Three seconds later, the Milky Way went to warp with the Hunter still attached – a tiny, dark bump on a very large, white log.  
2nd Lt. Tolon Reeves was at the communication/tactical station behind the captain’s chair. “Commander Dolphin and his party are now aboard.”  
“Detach us from the Milky Way’s hull and take us out of their warp field, Lieutenant Gamor,” Tauk ordered.   
A moment later and the U.S.S. Milky Way seemed to drift slightly away from the underside of the Hunter, then suddenly streaked off in a blaze of brilliant white light.   
“Lieutenant Tolon, report,” Tauk said.  
“All ship systems read nominal. No damage. All personnel present and accounted for.”  
“Lieutenant Gamor, bring us about, make your heading to the Romulan Neutral Zone at our previously selected entry point and engage recursive warp at factor 13.”  
A few seconds later, the U.S.S. Hunter made a blur of the stars.

At the very moment the Hunter went to warp, Tolon noticed that a new person had appeared on the bridge. He nearly jumped out of his skin. “Uh… Lieutenant Commander…”  
All eyes on the bridge turned to see a figure clad in black armor – his right hand evidently mechanical with a number of tools in addition to fingers, including a small circular saw and pincers. His left eye was covered with an extension from his helmet that included an ocular sensor array. For no obvious reason, a tube projected out of his lower right cheek and connected to the right side of his armor. Other tubes wrapped around his helmet and his armor, attached in ways that appeared random and for which there seemed to be no obvious purpose. His face was completely pale.  
He turned his head mechanically, looking at each person on the bridge, then said, “Resistance is futile...”

Ensign Tolon reached slowly for the phaser at his belt, but stopped when the borg suddenly laughed.  
“No, no, please… I’m sorry…” The borg held up both his hands – the right one mechanical, the left biological. “I’ve just always really wanted to say that.”  
Lt. Cmdr. Tauk opened his mouth, turned away for a second, looked again as if to make certain he was actually looking at a smiling borg:

“Um… Kenny… Justice Irons… Could you come up here, please? There’s a borg on our bridge and he acting really weird…”

19 – The Ivonvic Commission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Hugh Mann, 3rd of 5 (Hugh)  
Human Ethnicity: N/A  
Additional Species: Borg  
Hometown/Homeworld: Unknown  
Introduced: Episode 19.17  
Age when introduced: Unknown  
Role: Analyst, Star Fleet Temporal Command


	141. NEW MATERIAL / Link to Star Trek Hunter - Series 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Below is a hyperlink to Year 3 of the Star Trek Hunter series
> 
> **NEW CONTENT HAS BEEN ADDED - SEE BELOW**

Enjoy Star Trek Hunter - Series 3 - the final year of this story...

It will be big. It will be wild. And hopefully, it will be well worth it...

[ **Star Trek Hunter - Series 3** ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/22593784)

**NOTE: **In response to reader questions, comments, criticism and requests, I have added several new scenes. 

There is a thing called the Curse of Knowledge. It is every writer's worst enemy. The writer knows so much more about the story than is put down for the reader. I was informed that there were a few scenes that were happening off-screen (so to speak) that I needed to put on-screen.

As I am publishing this story on other sites, I am keeping it consistent across all platforms by adding the new scenes as they are created. Three new scenes have been added to Year 2 - The Destroyer of Worlds:  
  
**Episode 11.14: Intersections and Reunions - The C.D.S. Milithra (chapter 17)**

**Episode 16.4: Slavers - The Needs of the Many (chapter 82)**

**Episode 19.5: The Ivonovic Commission - Stroke of Luck (chapter 128)**

I know it may seem strange to publish middle chapters when the end of the story has been published. I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience.

This story's listing on An Archive of Our Own is it's primary location and the one I drive readership to through my blog and Facebook posts.

Thanks!! rbs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
Star Trek, its universe, the races and governments and the iconic characters developed for TV and movies - in short the Star Trek franchise - is the property of CBS Corporation and a long list of affiliates.
> 
> The original characters and this original story line belong to me.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!!  
.


End file.
